13 women footballers have been removed from the upcoming FIFA 16, EA Sports has announced; this has happened because including them would jeopardize their eligibility for collegiate athletics, under NCAA regulations.
“Of the hundreds of players on these rosters, 13 are currently attending or likely to attend NCAA-sanctioned schools in the U.S. The NCAA recently informed EA SPORTS that these 13 student-athletes would be risking their eligibility for collegiate athletics by being included in FIFA 16,” explains EA.
“We do not agree with this position. All rights were secured following standard protocol with national governing bodies and federations, and none of these NCAA student-athletes or potential student athletes were to be individually compensated by EA SPORTS for their inclusion in the game.
“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.”
The thirteen affected players are:
- Kadeisha Buchanan, Canada
- Jessie Fleming, Canada
- Ashley Lawrence, Canada
- Janine Beckie, Canada
- Rebecca Quinn, Canada
- Sura Yekka, Canada
- Celia Jiménez, Spain
- Tanya Samarzich, Mexico
- Greta Espinoza, Mexico
- Christina Murillo, Mexico
- Amanda Perez, Mexico
- Emily Alvarado, Mexico
- Maria Sanchez, Mexico
FIFA 16 launches later this month on every system known to man except for Wii U.