EA is removing the Russian National Team and all Russian clubs from FIFA 22, FIFA Mobile and FIFA Online due to the country’s invasion of the Ukraine, according to a tweet by the studio on Wednesday.
“EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and like so many voices across the world of football, call for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine,” the tweet reads. EA says that the company will keep it’s players informed of any further changes to their popular football game.
Russian Clubs are being removed from FIFA
A statement from EA SPORTS FIFA: pic.twitter.com/v3pZvpblgS
— EA SPORTS FC (@EASPORTSFC) March 2, 2022
Russian players playing for teams from other countries will not be impacted, according to the studio. It’s not clear if Russia icons, like goalkeeper Lev Ivanovich Yashin, who played in the 1950s and 60s, will be removed from the game as well.
EA has removed players and teams from FIFA for other reasons in the past, as well. The studio removed Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood from all offline modes and the team squad of FIFA 22 following sexual assault allegations. There was also a small uproar when former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s name was removed from two songs in Madden in 2018.
These actions follow those of companies like BLAST Premier, which uninvited all Russia-based teams from future events on Tuesday. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s second-biggest tournament organizer cited the conflict as the reason why they wouldn’t allow Russian teams at their events “for the foreseeable future.”
The entire world reeled when Russia launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine in February, launching rockets into major cities across the country. Thousands of people have fled their homes, including Apex Legends and VALORANT players. Vladimir Putin has threatened any country that would directly intervene with what he calls a “military operation.” Countries around the world have moved to weaken Russia by cutting it off from various markets, but the conflict still continues.
