“Emerickson is one of the most watched Czech console game streamers. He has been playing FIFA regularly since 2002 and his greatest achievements include 3rd place in the V4 tournament in Budapest in FIFA 18, first place in third year COOL League in FIFA 21 and also the first eRepresentative from the Czech Republic when he managed in 2021 to win all the qualifiers. He became a Sparta eSports player in January 2019,” Thus describes their current career Jan “Emerickson” Krupička on the website of AC Sparta Prague, the first football club in the Czech Republic to kick off the then-unexplored FIFA series by EA Sports. It is most often played in FIFA Ultimate Team’s competitive mode, where players collect cards from real soccer players, which they then control on a virtual field. Each card has a different skill, so each player behaves a little differently in the game itself.

How does it feel to represent a famous Czech football club? Is it possible to make a living playing FIFA professionally in the Czech Republic? And what is Honza’s opinion about the current situation in the world of football? He revealed all this in an interview.

Hi Honza, you have been playing FIFA for over three years on behalf of Sparta. How has FUT’s competitive title or regime changed during that time?

I have to say that the game changes a lot every year, especially the style of play. Every year there are things that work more or less. Be it formations, game elements or meta players. That’s why you have to adapt as quickly as possible at the start of the year to gain the necessary confidence in your game and have a potential advantage over other players. This can only be achieved by playing regularly.

When you started with FIFA, did you ever have ambitions, or did you ever think that you could play professionally for a club like Sparta?

I admit that it didn’t even occur to me when I started the game and there is absolutely no way I can make a living from it and play for the biggest club in our country in the future. Playing is more of a hobby of mine and kind of a distraction from real football. However, I swallowed every year, played for hours on end, and in the end, after my injury, I started a little more and managed to break through on the competitive scene.

Is it possible to make a full-time career with current professional FIFA, or do players still have some support professions?

Everyone has it differently. In my case, I’m grateful to be able to make a living off of it and not have to look for another job. There are still a few units of full-time players in the Czech Republic, but that number is increasing every year. I think it is a natural process. In four or five years, maybe sooner, there will be dozens of players playing professionally on contracts.

In your profile on the Sparta site, do you have a number of achievements that you are most proud of?

Czechoslovakia’s record in WL 117-0 (WL = weekend league game mode also known as FUT Champions editor’s note), First place in the 3rd season of the COOL League, 3rd and 4th place in V4 in Hungary, won the qualification for the first eRepresentative position. This is an achievement that I am most proud of.

What exactly is top for a professional? What is the greatest success to be achieved here in the Czech Republic and is there a foreign tournament that is an imaginary pinnacle?

The biggest achievement is for FIFA players to win the Global Series, it is the FIFA World Championship for individuals. In my opinion, this is the greatest pinnacle a professional player can reach. In our country it is a slightly smaller tournament than the mentioned GS. The official Czech league, which also has a license from the game’s publisher, is e:LIGA, organized by the League Football Association. From there, players can enter European competitions, which are included in the game’s official competitive structure. Then there are other slightly smaller tournaments like COOL Liga, iSport Liga, eLEAGUE or MČSR from Topgaming. This is probably the most famous tournament in our country.

How does it work among FIFA pros in terms of individual FIFA years? Is it necessary to have the latest games every year? Is FIFA professional played on platforms other than Playstation?

FIFA is published annually in September-October. Players must always have the latest games if they wish to enter the tournament. It can’t be done without it. EA pushed the Playstation a lot this year. Used to be played on Xbox. As far as I know, all major tournaments are also only on Playstation.

How do the clubs, in your case Sparta, support the players? For example, do you get a new game every year?

Of course this is related to the awarding of new games every year and a number of FIFA points (premium game currency for which players purchase cards for their sets, editor’s note). You can’t do without him at the start of the year if you want to play at a competitive level.

What is the difference between playing for a club and playing alone? Can a player without a club – and therefore without such support – be able to compete at all?

They sure can. There are some talented players who may not receive such support, but they can still play big name matches in our country. At the start of the year, of course, they found it more difficult from the point of view that they built a quality team a little longer than players with regular support from their club or organization.

When does a FIFA player have a high season? Is the season divided into main sections, as in football, and then, for example, transfer periods, summer holidays or something similar?

FIFA’s professional player season lasts quite a while. The start is always September/October. The final tournament usually takes place 2-3 months before the game’s new year release, but last season we played several tournaments over the summer. I hope this summer will be a bigger break, I’m also really enjoying the F1 racing game, which will be released this month and I’m really looking forward to it too (laughs).

So the season of the year is almost over for the pros? What changes would you like as a professional player from the new FIFA year?

I want the game to be faster. It would be nice to have less AI defense (automatic control of players with artificial intelligence during obstruction, ed. note) and more players trying to defend and attack manually.

Are you suited to playing FIFA more arcade or would you like a more realistic playing style like eFotball, formerly known as PES?

I won’t go overboard with real football. Many people are calling for it. I believe that games should be primarily fun. Half-life lasts six minutes in real time, so it should be part of the arcade. I love the combination of real football with arcade elements. I saw eFotball, although I didn’t play it, but in my opinion unfortunately it is very far in quality compared to FIFA.

What do you think about renaming the entire series from 2024 to EA SPORTS FC and reports on other football simulators in development? Do you think it could happen that another title will be the main game for you professionals?

I don’t think it’s a big deal for that renaming. It is more of a cosmetic treatment. I see that next year we can have five football games here, which is very good for me. EA needs competition. This can be a driving force for them to make the game better. I’ve been thinking about moving to another title, and for me it just might be. This is then consulted with the team and tournament organizers. However, I think we will keep playing the game that will have the biggest name and the best marketing and this is the game from EA so far.

Thanks for the interview, I wish you success.

You’re welcome.