”Project Red Card” Top Players speaks on Image Rights In FIFA 21: A hoard of UK based footballers set to join Ibrahimovic and Bale in putting EA Sports to the sword
After seeing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gareth Bale and Mino Raiola hit out at them earlier in the week, EA Sports could see their problems further multiply in the impending days. As per a report by The Athletic, a bevy of players from UK are apparently planning to launch Project Red Card, one which will see them look to recover damages from EA Sports incurred over the past years.
The latest development is set to have come in the wake of Ibrahimovic taking to Twitter to question EA Sports over his involvement in FIFA 21. According to the AC Milan player, the organisation and FIFPro had no agreement in place with him to use his image rights, face, name and likeness in the FIFA franchisee for years.
Players To Seek Legal Advice Over The Issue At Hand
Subsequently, a string of players currently plying their skill set in the country are set to have sought legal advice over the use of their likeliness and name by EA Sports. The players are looking at taking EA Sports to the court if illegalities are found in a bid to recover previously lost dues.
The FIFA franchise owned by EA Sports has over the years had deals in place with clubs and players which allows the developer to use the club name, stadiums, players’ face, likeliness, markings and other image rights in its game.
These rights are sold by FIFPro, the official union for football players across the globe. Whilst these right are packages as a whole by the Premier League, the laws are different in Italy with the guidelines in place in the country needing each club and player to have individual deals for selling their image rights.
The FIFA franchisee has over the years sold over 3,000 copies with the 2021 edition of the game featuring 7,000 players, 700 teams and 30 leagues.
EA Sports Loses Court Case Over Image Rights Issue In Brazil
This isn’t the first though that FIFA have found themselves in the midst of such of a battle. In June this year, 450 players in Brazil won a settlement of R$6.5million after the Union of Athletes of Santa Catarina brought a case against them in court.
Nic Couchman, a sports lawyer told The Athletic: “The issue of the use of player names and images within video games has long been the subject of controversy. The situation is complicated by the applicable rules varying across jurisdictions.
“In 2003, German goalkeeper sued EA for using his name and image without consent, but bringing such action in the UK might be much more problematic.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Says EA Sports Using His Image Rights Without His Permission
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had earlier in the week taken to Twitter to question EA Sports over the usage of his image and name in the 2021 edition of FIFA.
“Who gave FIFA EA Sport permission to use my name and face? @FIFPro? I’m not aware to be a member of Fifpro and if I am I was put there without any real knowledge through some weird manoeuvre. And for sure I never allowed @FIFAcom or Fifpro to make money using me.” he wrote.
“Somebody is making profit on my name and face without any agreement all these years. Time to investigate.”
Bale Lends Support To Zlatan
.@Ibra official Interesting… what is @FIFPro? #TimeToInvestigate: Bale wrote replying to Twitter.
