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FIFA 22 removes Man City's Mendy pending rape trial
The suspended Manchester City defender, who is facing trial on rape charges, has been removed from the FIFA 22, EA Sports has confirmed.
Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been removed from FIFA 22 pending the outcome of a trial as the player faces several rape and sexual assault charges.
After being charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against three people, the Frenchman was was suspended by City back in late August.
It has taken EA Sports much longer to act, but the games maker has finally moved to pull the player from the latest edition of the popular football game series.
EA Sports statement on Mendy removal
EA Sports confirmed Mendy’s withdrawal in a statement provided to Eurogamer.
"As Benjamin Mendy has been removed from the active rosters of both Manchester City and the French National team, in FIFA 22 he has also been removed from respective rosters and suspended from appearing in FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) packs and Ultimate Draft while he is awaiting trial," it said.
Nevertheless, players can find still Mendy in the game via the transfer market - the FUT's version of an in-game auction house, as reported by Eurogamer. This means users have access to several of Mendy’s FUT cards and can buy and sell them freely.
Regarding this issue, EA Sports told Eurogamer in its statement: "We can confirm the changes in FUT were made the day after the launch of the EA Play early access trial resulting in some players having access to Mendy in packs before the suspension kicked in."
As per SportsBible, the value of Mendy's card has doubled since he was removed from the game.
Mendy awaiting January trial
After being charged at Chester Crown Court on 10 September, Mendy is set to appear in court in November, with his full trial set for 24 January.
While Mendy has been suspended from City, the club’s official website still shows the player as part of the squad.
The standard edition of FIFA 22 will be released this Friday, 1 October on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Google Stadia.