Jonathan Khalfa named as the new manager of PSG eSports's professional FIFA 23 team

Having been chosen to take part in the EA SPORTS Cup (an invitation-only tournament that the world's 20 best teams take part in), which is set to start on 24th October in London, before taking part in eLigue1 and all of EA's national and European competitions, PSG's FIFA 23 team has just announced quite the coup with the arrival of experienced manager Jonathan Khalfa.

His aim will be to provide the players with support and a structured environment as they prepare for the competition, both mentally and in terms of their gameplay. He will also support them tactically, with opponent analysis and video analysis of their matches, for example, as well as with certain non–performance-related aspects such as a fitness schedule, nutritional monitoring, management of playing time, etc.

Khalfa, 32, is a Parisian chartered accountant and entrepreneur who is passionate about gaming. Having played FIFA for nearly 15 years, firstly as a hobby but then competitively, he spent several seasons at the highest level, reaching the French Top 20 in the Global Series standings, the quarter-finals of eLigue1 Draft and Day 2 of several FIFA Global Series. This combination of sporting and professional experience gives him the ideal profile to coach and manage the team.

Jonathan opened up about his new role: "eSports players are true sportspeople that you have to prepare to be competitive with an approach centred around the search for performance and constant improvement. I'm honoured and proud to be part of Paris Saint-Germain's eSports project. My role will be to put our players in the best possible position to achieve the club's national and international aims. As part of our vision, the will to win is important, but the will to prepare properly and to help the players improve in order to win titles in the long term is even more important. My little three-year-old boy, whom I watch PSG games with, will be proud to see his father in charge of this great team."

Nadia Benmokhtar, the head of the club's eSports department, reinforced this approach: "At Paris Saint-Germain, we see eSports as an entirely separate discipline and see gamers as athletes. Giving our players a healthy training environment is an essential part of that. Specific practice schedules that don't have a negative impact on their sleep, team and individual analysis as well as proper mental preparation are important drivers of performance. We're happy to welcome Jonathan into the team; this is another important step in our project."