- EA Sports has announced that it will be removing Russian teams from its FIFA titles
- This decision comes in the wake of numerous gaming organizations banning Russian teams from competing
- The gaming world has condemned the Russian aggression in Ukraine and prays for a peaceful resolution of the conflict
EA Sports has begun removing Russian soccer teams and clubs from its FIFA games, condemning the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
EA Sports Takes Action
Electronic Arts Sports has announced that it will be removing the Russian national soccer team as well as all Russian soccer clubs from its FIFA titles. Those changes will affect FIFA 22, FIFA Online and FIFA Mobile.
This move is a demonstration of solidarity towards the people of Ukraine and a condemnation of the Russian aggression towards the Ukrainian people. The Eastern European countries have been at war since 2014 but it has all evolved into a full-out invasion.
EA shared an announcement about its decision, revealing that it has been inspired by the traditional sports soccer leagues FIFA and UEFA which also banned Russian teams from competing for the time being.
EA urged for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, hoping that there is still a chance for peace. Meanwhile, it promised to keep fans updated about any changes to the game.
The World Hopes This Will End Soon
The changes to FIFA’s roster of football teams are yet to go live. However, the process has been initiated, according to EA, meaning that it should happen in one of the following updates. The company added that other changes are also on the way.
Fearing its future, Ukraine has asked people to not stay neutral at heart. The country’s vice prime minister, Mykhailo Federov, urged esports bodies to bar Russia and its teams from playing internationally, especially after some Russian esports bodies have refused to denounce the war.
BLAST Premier and other event organizers have already imposed bans on Russian teams from competing in tournaments. Steam, on the other hand, has stopped accepting requests from users with Russian IPs, the Belarusian news outlet Nexta reported.
EA’s decision to remove the Russian teams from the FIFA games and the other actions taken by various developers and gaming companies show that the world isn’t amused by the abhorrent events taking place in Ukraine. Let us hope that this crisis gets resolved quickly so esports and gaming can once again rise above borders as they used to do.
