Posted on Tuesday, 21st February 2012 by Irons Maiden

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Some of the UK’s finest football gaming talent battled it out in London Sunday night in the latest leg of live qualification for the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC). In the race to be crowned FIWC 12 Champion, 18 contestants from all over the UK were in London’s bustling Oxford Street, with Premier League footballers Jay Bothroyd, Queens Park Rangers and Dickson Etuhu, Fulham FC among the spectators.

The FIWC is the world’s largest online gaming tournament, organised by FIFA in association with Presenting Partners EA SPORTS ™ and PlayStation®. The event gives football fans the chance to live out their passion for football by competing against each other at FIFA ‘12. With over 800,000 players already registered around the world, the FIWC is a fiercely contested tournament, with the FIFA ’12 game boasting Wayne Rooney, Gerard Piqué and Nemanja Vidic among its fans.

Birmingham resident and 2011 Grand Finalist Ty Walton emerged victorious last night, securing his place in May’s Grand Final, where prestigious prizes of an invite to the FIFA Ballon d’Or and a coveted $20,000 prize will go to the eventual World Champion.

In an unusual match-up, Ty Walton’s Real Madrid met Adam Johnson’s Real Madrid in last night’s Final of the UK Qualifiers. Walton, a 2011 Grand Finalist, endured a tough night but claimed his place at the Grand Final after beating Irishman Adam Johnson 2-1 in last night’s final. In a tense affair, Walton took the lead in the 18th minute with a fantastic effort from Cristiano Ronaldo. Walton pulled off a signature move as he bypassed two players in the penalty area with a 360 spin before striking low and hard. The post intervened but Walton made sure by following up on the rebound and putting the ball into the net.

After failing to convert a penalty in the 25th minute, Walton doubled his advantage with a cracking header from Benzema taking a comfortable two goal cushion into the second half. However, Johnson cranked up the pressure in the second half and pulled a goal back in 56th minute. Although this was not enough as Walton held off the fight back and stayed calm under pressure to claim a spot in the 2012 Grand Final.

Walton commented, “I was delighted to be back again challenging for the Qualifier event here in London, so knowing that I’ve secured a place at the Grand Final is a dream come true. My experience at the 2011 Grand Final in Los Angeles was unbelievable so hopefully I can go back and win the tournament outright this year. The competition tonight was really strong as expected but I managed to pull a few tricks out of the bag to clinch a victory in the Final.”

QPR striker Bothroyd said: “The FIWC is a fantastic way for football fans from all walks of life to come together and showcase their FIFA 12 skills. The competition was fierce and the some of the goals scored were incredible, I played against one lad who told me I should stick to my day job! Congratulations to Ty Walton, I’ll be making sure I stay away from him online!”

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While at the event I got the chance to speak with both Jay Bothroyd and Dickson Etuhu about the competition and their current situation at their respective clubs.

Jay Bothroyd

 

Q: Did you see any of the FIFA Interactive World Cup?
Bothroyd: I didn’t see any of the games, but one of them was giving me banter saying “Don’t give up my day job”.

Q: Who do you play as? Have you got any special tricks at all?
Bothroyd: Keep it simple, pass and move. I normally play as Barcelona but Dickson was Barca today so I was Man City and brought Carlos Tevez back into the team.

Q: Do you play against any of the other players?
Bothroyd: Shaun Wright-Phillips and Anton Ferdinand play a bit and everyone says they’re the best.

Q: Why don’t you think more English players move abroad like you did?
Bothroyd:  Don’t know, probably because they don’t want to leave their families. Why would you want to move from the Premier League? It’s the best league in the world.

Q: What has Djibril Cisse added to the dressing room?
Bothroyd: Some wild clothes! Djib’s a nice guy, obviously he is a good forward and he has represented big clubs, his country and won the Champions League. He has brought a lot of pace to our front line; he is a really good forward.

Q: Is there a bit more competition now with all the forwards at the club?
Bothroyd: There is all over the pitch! Obviously Bobby and Djibril have come so there is more competition for me in my spot, but that is the sign of a good squad and that can only bring the best out in myself when you know someone is after your shirt.

Q: Has Mark Hughes brought in a lot of new ideas with regards to training, etc.?
Bothroyd: Yeah, much more physically demanding and more tactical now. Everyone knows their role in team and he keeps banging on about being dynamic and making dynamic runs.

Q: You’ve been at a number of clubs, which club have you enjoyed the most?
Bothroyd: I don’t know if I can answer that now, not really until I finish my career. Being at Arsenal was fun and we had a great team, I’d always recommend young players to go to Arsenal, but professionally I’d probably say Cardiff so far.

 

Dickson Etuhu

Q: And who do you play as on FIFA?
Etuhu: Barcelona, best team in the world. Closest I’ll ever get to playing at that level of football.

Q: Do you play against teammates?
Etuhu: I’m not the best, but I play against Moussa Dembele. He thinks he is good but he’s not so good.

Q:What it is like playing as yourself?
Etuhu: It’s strange. You always want to pass the ball to yourself, you always want to score. I’m trying to do things I’m not good at!

Q: How accurate do you think FIFA have got your stats in the game?
Etuhu: I think they’ve got it quite accurate to be honest but you always think you’re better than what people say.

Q: Dickson, you were at Norwich, what were your memories of that?
Etuhu: I have great memories of Norwich, I was there for a year and a half. First few months were difficult for me as I left Preston as I fell out with the manager Billy Davies so I had not much fitness. I probably had one of my best seasons there, I scored a few goals and won player of the month awards.

Q: You moved on to Sunderland after Norwich, what was that like?
Etuhu: Sunderland was a great move for me, it got me to the Premiership. I always thank Roy Keane for that as when he signed me he had a massive transfer budget.

Q: You’re quite a combative midfielder, so who is the hardest midfielder you’ve played against?
Etuhu: Paul Scholes. He has you chasing shadows. Paul Scholes is very intelligent, he moves the ball very quickly so it doesn’t matter how quick or strong you’re you just can’t get close to him. However he is in a great team and most people don’t realise that top players always look better in a great team.

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ANY BUDDING FIFA’ 12 PLAYERS OUT THERE?

Dickson Etuhu and Jay Bothroyd attended the UK final of the FIFA Interactive World Cup on EA SPORTS’ FIFA 12, which was won by Ty Walton. Players can still compete online through their PLAYSTATION 3. For more information, visit www.fifa.com/fiwc

 

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