FIFA 22 without a legend. Diego Maradona removed from EA

The battle for football icon Diego Maradona’s image rights continues and bounces back to EA Sports’ referees. As a result of the recent court decision, the football player will no longer be available in FIFA 22. The developers addressed legal errors and issued a statement.

In November last year, we reported on a tumultuous battle over Diego Maradona’s image rights. The athlete died in 2020, but since then the rights to the trademark “Maradona” and the image of the legendary footballer have not been clarified. Last year, lawyer Matthias Morla won one of the trials, claiming that before his death, the star transferred the rights to his company Sattvica. At the same time, one of the parties to the dispute is the Argentine girls, who previously filed a complaint about the illegal use of their image.

Electronic Arts, thanks to the contract signed with Stefano Ceci, the former football player manager, introduced Diego Maradona to FIFA 22 Ultimate Team, among others – the player has been an icon in FUT and is considered one of the best in the entire mode. According to the court, the former representative could not prove his ability to conclude contracts of this type. Until the actual owner of the rights to the trademark is determined, Judge Marcelo Gota ordered the introduction of the “required precautionary measure to cease use of the indicated trademarks immediately by any actions to be taken”.

Because of the arrangements, the publisher had to respond and remove Diego Maradona from production – When launching FIFA 22, you may encounter the following message:

“Due to a legal dispute with a third party, we must suspend Diego Maradona’s participation in the FIFA Ultimate Team, Ultimate Draft and Soccer Aid World XI bundles. As a result, items bearing the Diego Maradona icon will no longer be available in bundles, SBC and FUT Draft, and has been modified priced until further notice. We share our fans’ disappointment and hope to bring one of football’s greatest icons back into the game at some point in the future.”