Electronic Arts becomes aware of the situation around the former soccer player and eliminates, at least temporarily, its game contents.
Electronic Arts has suspended former FIFA 20 soccer player Marco van Basten for his recent comments on a television broadcast where he wielded greetings related to the Nazi dictatorship. The former Ajax striker, fifty-five years old, has asked for public apologies outside of this situation, but the American company has decided to eliminate his cards in modalities such as FIFA Ultimate Team.
“We are aware of the latest comments from Marco van Basten. We intend to maintain our commitment to equality and diversity in our game and, therefore, we will suspend the articles of Marco van Basten's icon from the envelopes, DCP and FUT Draft until further notice, ”says the editor in an official statement that has arrived in the last hours to the faithful of this game mode.
Official EA statement issued on December 3 | Source: Xavi Robles via Twitter
Marco van Basten apologizes; rejection in the world of football in the Netherlands
As the newspaper EL PAÍS expands, the former soccer player has already apologized when, during that last sports broadcast on the Fox Sports network in a meeting that faced Ajax and Heracles, he used the Nazi expression used in the German Third Reich, Seig Heil , which can be translated as "live, eternal, victory." After the hundreds of comments condemning the action on social networks, the former player said: "It was not my intention to bother anyone, so I apologize for what was said."
The phrase was very badly received in the Dutch soccer universe, of which he is natural, and he took a minute of silence in the national First and Second Division games of said league in solidarity with Ahmad Mendes Moreira, Guinean parents and soccer player Excelsior club, insulted with this type of racist insults those same days.
Electronic Arts has not commented on the eventual return of Marco van Basten to the envelopes of these game modes in FIFA 20. He has to wait, however, for more information.
It should be added that, on November 18, EA banned two professional players from the competitive scene of the game for a racist fight, in this case for a religious conflict. FIFA 20 is one of the fastest selling games in the recent saga. The title, sales leader in Spain during October, was put on sale in physical and digital format on September 27, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC.
