By Hugo Varley
EA Sports has had to remove 13 female players from FIFA 16 over fears the players’ appearance in the video game could hamper their eligibility to play for NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) universities in the United States.
The NCAA strictly states that all participating athletes should be amateurs and therefore not receive any sort of salary for playing their chosen sport.
Due to this, EA Sports has reluctantly removed the players from the game, stating: “We believe this decision denies these 13 athletes the opportunity to represent their countries in the game, but we have removed them from FIFA 16 to ensure there is no risk to their eligibility.”
Although no players from the United States national team have been removed from the video game, six Canadian players, six Mexican players and one Spanish player have been removed.
