Gamers Pinna, Bentato and Newa must lead eDevils to World Championship 2022
First: RBFA selects first non-professional for qualification tournament
For the first time in its history, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has included a non-professional gamer in the official selection of its eDevils. Keanu Newa (19) is set to join professional eSporters Stefano Pinna (24) and Zakaria Bentato (25) in the upcoming qualification matches for the eNations League, the official FIFA World eSport Championship in July 2022. Newa, a student of applied economics at VUB, is the first raw gaming talent from the RBFA Esports Academy founded this year to make the World Cup squad.
In April this year, the Royal Belgian Football Association founded the RBFA Esports Academy. Its aim was to scout fresh gaming talent to strengthen the eDevils, the national eSports team. Barely eight months later, Keanu Newa is the first Academy talent to make it to the eDevils selection that will lead Belgium to the 2022 World Championships. Under the guidance of eCoach Michaël Vanderheyden, Keanu Newa will, together with professional eSporters Pinna and Bentato, compete from 16 December onwards against Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Germany, Romania, Italy and Russia.
RBFA Esports Academy delivers first top player for eDevils
Semi-pro Keanu Newa is living proof that the Academy can raise the level of eDevils by scouting lesser known Belgian professional and amateur talent. Newa proved himself over the past months in the Academy among about twenty other talents and was finally allowed to compete in an internal competition against six full-time pros including, apart from Pinna and Bentato, pro gamers Gilles Bernard (KRC Genk), Quentin Vande Wattyne (Standard), Thomas Vidic (Union) and Elias Bray (ex-STVV) who competed for World Cup selection together with gamer Marou, one of the sensations of the past months. Finally, Keanu Newa joined Pinna and Bentato in the selection for the revamped eDevil team.
"Starting this year, we are working on professionalising our eDevils. We have set up our RBFA Esports Academy and for the first time we have a real selection system for our national eSports team. Where we used to select based on the rankings of the individual players, we now give our Academy players the same chances as the full time professional gamers. We are proud to have a player in Keanu Newa who has made it all the way from the living room through our new eSport programme to being selected for the eDevils. His story shows that it is worthwhile to seek fresh gaming talent for our eDevils through the Academy."
Bart Cobbaert, Commercial & Esports Manager at the RBFA
Renewed eDevils and eCoach Michaël Vanderheyden full of confidence
The renewed eDevils start their first international qualification tournament with a lot of ambition. In four two-on-two matches over two days they will play Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Germany, Romania, Italy and Russia. The three best countries will qualify for the World Cup next summer. If they do not qualify this time, the eDevils can still force a ticket through an additional qualification tournament in May.
"We are confident that the eDevils can qualify for the final round of a major tournament. That will help us to grow and take even bigger steps forward. Currently we are in 31st place worldwide and our first goal is to get into the top 20. For this first series of matches we have assembled a very talented selection with Pinna and Bentato and reserve player Newa, but their five teammates in the eDevils will also give their best in the coming weeks and months to make it to the selection. So all our players are pushing each other to their best level every time."
Michaël Vanderheyden, eCoach and Specialist Esports at the RBFA
The eDevils selection for eNations League qualification tournament
Keanu Newa (19)
In 2020, he won several tournaments in Belgium. As a result, he was picked up by a club for the first time this year. He defends the colours of KAA Gent. Besides that contract, he studies applied economic sciences at the VUB. Keanu went as a non-professional gamer all the way from the RBFA Esports Academy to become an official eDevil.
https://twitter.com/EminoMercy
https://www.instagram.com/keanu.newa/
Stefano Pinna (24)
He currently plays for KRC Genk and AZ in the eDivision on loan. Before that he represented the colours of PSV and Lille. In early 2021 he was loaned out by Genk to Venlo to play in the eDivisie.
He reached the final of the eDivision and was also French Champion PS4 in 2020. In 2018, he became the FIFA World Champion on the Playstation. https://twitter.com/stefanopinna97
https://www.instagram.com/stefanopinna97/
Zakaria Bentato (25)
Zakaria Bentato has been playing for Anderlecht for years. In 2020, he was losing finalist of the ePro League.
https://www.instagram.com/zakbentato/
https://twitter.com/ZakBentato