EA banned Marco van Basten from FIFA 20 until further notice following an interview where the football manager referenced the Nazi salute on live television. The interview took place in late November, when van Basten was being featured as an analyst on the Dutch pay TV Fox Sports.
The former football player quickly apologized for the ill-advised remark, saying that he believed he was not on air yet. He stated that his comment was "stupid and inappropriate," but not intended to shock the audience. On the contrary, van Basten said that he only wanted to mock Kraay for his bad German. Fans were still understandably upset by the reference, however, and this caused the Dutch football legend to be banned from working with Fox Sports until December 7.
But this is not the only ban that van Basten suffered because of his unwise Nazi reference. As Twinfinite reports, the renowned football expert was suspended from FIFA 20 as well. Starting from December 3, players who launch the game will see a message from EA about the ban. van Basten's ICON items will no longer be available in Packs, Squad Building Challenges, and FUT Draft, until further notice from the video game publishing company. As explained in the message, EA wants to ensure that its committment to "equality and diversity" is upheld in the popular game. It's not known if van Basten will ever be reintroduced in FIFA 20 and future versions of the game.
Released on September 24 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and PC, FIFA 20 introduces several new features and improvements in comparison with the previous version. The Football Intelligence AI system changes the way a single player fights against a computer opponent, making the whole experience more intense and rewarding. Additionally, the new Volta mode lets the users play street football, like in the classic game FIFA Street.
While many players will be disappointed by the ban of such a popular footballer from FIFA 20, it's understandable that EA felt like the measure was needed to avoid being associated with van Basten's inappropriate comments. Given the multitude of young FIFA fans who play the game every day, the publisher took the opportunity to educate them about diversity, which is commendable. Only time will tell if the Dutch sports personality will be ever featured again in the FIFA video game franchise.
FIFA 20 is available now on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Source: Twinfinite