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With Adam Johnson having been found guilty of sexual activity with a minor, EA are in the precarious position of now having a video game representation of a convicted sex offender in their latest FIFA game, something which the company is looking to change in the near future.
Adam Johnson was charged with the crime last year, though Sunderland decided to continue to allow him to play football for them until the case went to court. However, with the jury finding Johnson guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a minor and another count of grooming a child, Sunderland have ousted the player from his position at the club as he looks set to spend between 5-10 years behind bars.
Adam Johnson in FIFA 16.
Now EA is looking to hurriedly remove the player from FIFA 16‘s roster, despite a statement from the publisher previously claiming that such a task wouldn’t be possible due to “technical issues”. However, EA have now backtracked on this claim, removing Johnson from the active rosters of both the Sunderland and the England international squad, telling BBC Newsbeat: “We’re working to remove him from other modes within the game as soon as possible.”
Johnson has already been removed from Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 and Football Manager 2016 in the wake of the trial, but EA has yet to state when the former player will have been wiped from FIFA 16 game altogether. With the game having a variety of different modes, including the likes of Ultimate Team where players can purchase footballers for their virtual team using real cash, it’s understandable that it would be difficult for them to swiftly wipe him from the entirety of FIFA 16. With that being said, it’s good to see EA making strides towards his removal.
