FC Pune City (FCPC) announced their latest signing in a unique way this summer. Most clubs announce a new signing by posting a picture of the player with the club jersey, however, FCPC did something different this time. The Pune-based Indian Super League franchise used the popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go to announce the signing of defender Andre Bikey.
Pokémon Go allows gamers to catch fictitious creatures called ‘Pokémon’ by throwing Poke balls at them. The game has become a viral phenomenon, getting immensely popular since its launch, breaking the record of daily active users. FCPC used the method of catching Pokémon to announce their newest signing.
The club teased the signing yesterday when it posted a GIF on its official Facebook page. Similar to the interface of Pokémon Go, a Poke ball is thrown at a shadow of a football player and the player is acquired. The identity of the player was revealed today when another GIF of Andre Bikey coming out of the Poke ball was posted on its Facebook page.
Andre Bikey is a Cameroonian defender who has played for English clubs like Reading, Burnley and newly promoted Premier League side Middlesbrough. The central defender, who can also play at right-back played the 2015 season of Indian Super league with North East United FC. Bikey was signed as a replacement of Miguel Garcia and made 9 appearances in the season scoring a solitary goal.
Bikey showed excitement about his move while talking to the ISL website, “I am thrilled to be a part of FC Pune City. It’s good to come back and play in this ever-growing league with a professional outfit like this. My efforts will be to ensure the Orange Army has more reasons to cheer.”
The Rajesh Wadhawan Group and Hrithik Roshan co-owned franchise have already signed some star players like Jonatan Lucca, Eduardo Ferreira and Momar Ndoye. The addition of Andre Bikey gives a huge boost to their defense.
