It is not the first or the second time that EA Sports is forced to retire a player from FIFA 22 this season. The football simulator has seen how Benjamin Mendy is involved in a series of rape accusations, while Mason Greenwood has also been accused of violence against his partner.
Both players from the Manchester teams have been eliminated from the various modes of the title and now it is the turn of one of the greatest. Diego Armando Maradonaone of the most important footballers in the history of football, has been temporarily removed from FIFA 22. This is the message the player receives when entering the play:
“Due to a legal dispute with third parties, we must remove Diego Maradona from FIFA Ultimate Team, Ultimate Draft, and Soccer Aid World XI team packs. Therefore, Diego Maradona ICON items will no longer be available in packs, SBC and FUT Draft, and their price range will remain fixed until further notice.
We share the disappointment of the fans and we hope to include one of the great icons of football in the future”
The origin of the dispute
You have to go back to 2017 to be clear about the judicial framework that Maradona began with the world of video games. El Pelusa charged against Konami upon discovering that in Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 the image of him was used as one more player. The Japanese company claimed that, by have the licenses of FC Barcelonaprotected him the power to use his figure after having played in the Catalan club.
While that situation was resolved with an agreement whereby Maradona would continue to be one of the stars of PES, the focus was on FIFA 22 at the end of 2021. Matías Morla, Maradona’s former lawyer, filed a claim against EA, since he considers that the rights to the player’s image belong to his company Sattvica. This is how Infobae collects it, which also indicates that the publisher negotiated the incorporation of Maradona with Stefano Ceci.
This is a businessman, a friend of Maradona, who signed an agreement before the death of the 10th to market his image. According to the media, the Argentine justice has published a precautionary measure that rules in favor of Morla, which Forces Maradona to be removed from FIFA 22.