Fifa 20 has been out for a number of months and despite some initial complaints, it looks like another successful title for its publisher Electronic Arts. However, due to no fault of the developers, a controversy has occurred which has led to a Legendary Player being removed from the game. Three times Ballon d'Or winner, Marco van Basten, has made comments on Fox which were incredibly disrespectful and prompted immediate action.
Marco van Basten is regarded as one of the best strikers soccer has ever seen, scoring 218 goals in 280 professional games. Like many former professionals, van Basten now commentates soccer games for broadcasters. The incident that led to van Basten's exclusion from Fifa 20 happened moments after an interview with German coach Frank Wormuth of Heracles.
Marco van Basten said "Sieg Heil", which is a salute meaning "hail victory", to Wormuth as the interview concluded. The salute was used by many notable Nazi's and has been frequently used in Nazi rallies. Marco van Basten has claimed that the statement was an ill-conceived joke, however, Fox and EA have all taken action in response to the Nazi salute.
Responding to the event, Fox has removed van Basten for a week while they investigate the situation further, in the meantime, his wage will be donated to the Netherlands Institute of War Documentation. Fifa 20 has been no stranger to controversy, however, this is a pretty unique situation for the game to deal with. Fortunately, much like Fox, EA has responded swiftly.
Fifa has responded to the incident by suspending "Marco van Basten ICON items from being available in packs, SBC's and FUT Draft until further notice". While many have their issues with Fifa, they have responded quickly to this controversial moment. This isn't the first time Fifa 20 has had to deal with offensive language, yet it is unusual that action is taken against a player.
Fifa 20 was well received by critics and although fans had issues with its offline content, everyone will appreciate the game being regulated properly and keeping up to date with controversy. What the future holds for Marco van Basten remains to be seen, however, it looks like he won't be in any Fifa squads for some time. Marco van Baston's fans will hope he addresses his salute with a more detailed statement than the frivolous claim it was a "joke".
FIFA 20Â is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.