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rench Ligue One club, Marseille, have taken their first steps into the competitive gaming industry, joining forces with Grizi Esport, which is owned by Barcelona forward, Antoine Griezmann.

Grizi Esport was launched at the start of the year by Antoine Griezmann, a boyhood Marseille fan, and his brother, Théo Griezmann, who is the chief executive officer of the esports team.

The partnership will see two Grizi Esport players represent Marseille in FIFA competitions over the course of the 2020/21 season.

Tournaments they will enter include the FIFA Global Series and FIFA eClub World Cup, as well as national competitions such as eLigue1, which is organised by the game’s publisher EA Sports and French soccer’s Professional Football League (LFP).

The collaboration between Marseille and Grizi Esport will also enable the club, who are already a partner of EA Sports, to organise online and physical activations with fans in an attempt to capitalise on the popularity of FIFA, which has nearly nine million players in France alone.

Marseille’s chief marketing and media officer, Hervé Philippe, said: “We are happy to take this first approach in the world of electronic sport through this partnership with the Grizi Esport structure, founded by the Griezmann brothers, fans of the club since their childhood, who have been able to create a competitive, responsible and family structure in just a few months.”

“This will be an opportunity for Olympique de Marseille to better understand this new sector and to reach an ever younger and connected audience, in line with our arrival on platforms such as TikTok or Twitch,” Philippe said.

Only two weeks ago, YouTuber, Vikram ‘Vikkstar123’ Singh Barn joined forces with ReKT Global and became a co-owner of the Royal Ravens, who have their own Call of Duty team.

Vikkstar, who is one of the founders of the Sidemen collective and has a following of over 12 million fans, will launch new content formats, merchandise and promotional activations, and host esports competitions including independently operated ReKT Global tournaments, as well as top Call of Duty: Warzone events in his new role.

“As I become a co-owner, I’ll be applying the same passion I have towards building my community, to supporting the Royal Ravens as they compete in the Call of Duty league,” Vikkstar said.

“[I] can’t wait to see how fans react to all the fun content we have planned.

“I’m lucky to have a large community that’s always excited to see me compete and produce new content,” he said.