April 29, 2008
FIFA, EA
and PlayStation Confirm Player Line-Up for the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2008
Final
32 Of The World’s Soccer Gaming Elite Get
Ready For The Ultimate Showdown In Berlin on May 24
After seven months of intense competition, FIFA,
EA and PlayStation today congratulate the 32 finalists who have secured their
place in the Grand Final of the fourth annual FIFA Interactive World Cup. On the
virtual soccer pitches of EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 08, players spanning the globe
from Australia to South Africa, Brazil to Korea to the USA and Italy, dribbled
and scored their way through the tournament’s 20 live qualifiers, while over
25,000 players competed in the online leg via PLAYSTATION Network. The finalists
will compete to become the FIFA Interactive World Player of the Year at the Sony
Center in Berlin on May 24.
Click here to download the new FIFA Interactive
World Cup 2008 video.
”I am very impressed with the level of the
participants. It is clear that they have been practicing hard, and like any
football event, practice is one of the most important things. The FIFA
Interactive World Cup is establishing itself as a premier gaming tournament, and
the only one under the FIFA banner”, explained Chuck Blazer, FIFA Executive
Committee Member, who added “I think it is apt that there are now 32 competitors
which mirrors the number of teams in the FIFA World Cup. This tournament is a
serious one, and like its big brother tournament, the FIFA World Cup, it is the
pride of being crowned the FIFA World Champion that encourages these great
performances.”
Defending champion Andries Smit from the
Netherlands will be vying for the crown for a second year running. Hoping to
prevent this from happening are the other 31 finalists, including Michael
Labelle of Houston, Texas, who won the Los Angeles qualifying competition, and
online tournament winners Didi Agbai of South Carolina and Michael Ribeiro of
New Jersey. They join Chris Bullard from the UK, the only previous winner to
have reached three FIWC Grand Finals in the tournament’s four year history; or
Davor Brescakovic from Switzerland, who showed his true determination by
competing in and winning the New Zealand qualifier having lost in the
semi-finals of the Swiss event. They’ll all be keeping an eye on the next
generation of virtual soccer virtuosos, including Ivan Pastyrčk from Slovakia
and Sachith Reddy from India – both only 14. All finalists will be in hot
competition to be crowned FIFA Interactive Player of the year, win an invitation
to the FIFA World Player Gala 2008 and a cash prize of USD $20,000.
“FIFA 08 is a highly competitive game that has
all the fast paced adrenaline pumping action of watching real football and
requires a tactical mind and a love for football. The Grand Final will be played
in a real football ambience and will provide the opportunity to experience a
live tournament with all the thrills spectators and players feel with a FIFA
World Cup title on the line”, says Anthony Baffoe, former Ghanaian international
and the first African player in the German Bundesliga, who will not only be one
of the many soccer guests that evening but also the co-host of the event.
Everybody is welcome to cheer on the finalists at
the Grand Final in Berlin and enjoy the free entertainment set up during this
one day virtual football extravaganza set to kick off at 11am CET. Live
entertainment will include German hip-hop artist Das Bo.
List of Finalists
- Bjorn Diedricks South Africa
- Gwan Hyeong Kim Korea
- Sachith Reddy India
- Chan Charm Wah Hong Kong
- Andries Smit Netherlands
- Roland Csaszar Hungary
- Christian Lonhart Denmark
- Pedro Caiado Portugal
- Alex Barets France
- Karol Rogaczewski Poland
- Alfonso Ramos Spain
- Dominik Posch Austria
- Ivan Pastyrcak Slovakia
- Michael Labelle Texas
- Davor Brescakovic Croatia
- Roberto Garrapa Italy
- Ruben Morales Zerecero Mexico
- Tunc Polat Switzerland
- Buey Siong Tay Australia
- Ivan Soberon Spain
- Michael Pommer Australia
- Max Fayers England
- Marko Krivokapic Germany
- Abubakr Ebrahim Akhalwaya South Africa
- Stephen Coorey Australia
- Andre Casagrande Buffo Brazil
- Didi Agbai South Carolina
- Michael Ribeiro New Jersey
- Carl Condliffe New Zealand
- Chris Bullard England
- Danny Taylor England
- Mustafa Agyuez Germany
