EA has removed the late Diego Maradona from FIFA 22 due to ongoing legal battles of the use of his likeness. An Argentian court ruled last year EA had negotiated with the wrong party and therefore had to remove the legendary striker from the game. Maradona was part of the series’ popular ultimate team and also featured in the Soccer Aid World XI team.
Why is Diego Maradona being removed from FIFA 22?
FIFA 22 players were greeted with the following message when booting up the game today:
Due to a third party legal dispute, we must suspend Diego Maradona from appearing in FIFA Ultimate Team Packs, Ultimate Draft and the Soccer Aid World XI team.
As such, Diego Maradona Icon Items will no longer be made available in Packs, SBCs and FUT Draft, and their price range has been fixed until further notice.
We share our fans’ disappointment and hope to bring one of football’s greatest icons back in the game at some point in the future
World Cup winner Maradona passed away in November 2020 due to a heart attack. Reports of Maradona being potentially removed from FIFA began in November last year. According to Infobae, the court ruled that the former manager to Maradona Stéfano Ceci signed an agreement with EA for the use of the Argentinean in FIFA — something his former friend could not prove he had legal powers to do so.
The news of Diego Maradona being removed from FIFA 22 will come as a huge disappointment to fans who have been lucky enough to pack the icon on Ultimate Team, or for players using him on Soccer Aid World XI. EA will hope to bring the legendary player back to the series as soon as possible.
In other news, the latest system software update has been released for PS5 and PS4. However, it has been smooth sailing as PSN has gone down.
