According to reports from an Argentine site, the football simulation FIFA 22 may lose the rights to present Diego Maradona in the game. The Argentine star player is featured as an icon in FIFA 22 – but the legal situation has shifted.
Which card is it about?
- In FIFA 22, the controversial former football star Diego Maradona (1960-2020) is an icon. With such “Icon” cards, EA honors the greatest football players of all time.
- Maradona’s iconic card comes in 3 variants, depicting him at different stages of his career. The cards have ratings of 91, 95, and 97. Thus, he is one of the best players in FIFA 22. For comparison: Lothar Matthäus only reaches 90, while Schweinsteiger stops at 91.
- But now the question arises: Can EA even show Maradona in the game?
Difficult legal situation regarding Maradona
What is the problem? The Argentine site infobase explains the difficult legal situation. An Argentine court has now awarded the rights to the image of Diego Maradona to the company of lawyer Matías Morla.
However, EA seems to have reached an agreement with Maradona’s former manager and longtime friend, Stéfano Ceci, that Maradona can appear in FIFA. However, his rights apparently expired on February 1, 2021, at least that is the judgment of the Argentine court.
This means: EA has come to an agreement with someone who does not hold the rights to decide whether Maradona can appear in FIFA.
According to Infobase, the court ruling states that precautions have been taken to avoid violating copyright, but a final decision has yet to be made.
In any case, EA has been ordered to stop using the relevant brands immediately.
In Argentina, there is currently a legal dispute over the “legacy of Maradona”: Maradona’s daughters have filed a lawsuit. Maradona passed away in November 2020 from a heart attack.
Currently, Maradona is still available in FIFA 21 and 22. However, that could change. It is not yet known how EA will respond to the situation.
EA could soon have even more problems with player rights if this continues:
Is EA soon done with FIFA? More and more details suggest so.
The title image comes from a YouTube video. It shows Maradona in FIFA 2020.
