Ivan Toney was removed from FIFA 23 over a gambling scandal, but fans aren’t having it

Players are pointing to FIFA's lootboxes as evidence of hypocrisy

Ivan Toney, a now-former striker for Brentford, has seemingly been removed from FIFA 23 after pleading guilty to over 200 charges in a massive gambling scandal. The player was suspended from all football activity by the FA for eight months, but his removal from EA’s FIFA has caused a stir among fans.

Toney was removed from the game in the most recent squad update, after he was found to have betted against his own team over a dozen times, in clear violation of the England Football Association’s betting policy (thanks, TheGamer). EA quietly removed him from the game, without making much of a statement and without prior warning of his removal.

Many fans and players are finding it a bit difficult to swallow though, as some have said it’s a bit hypocritical of EA to remove a player for gambling when FIFA games are filled with microtransactions and lootboxes themselves.

Lukedutchh, a FIFA-focused Twitch streamer with tens of thousands of followers, had some very unkind words to say about the removal on Twitter, calling the company hypocrites and accusing them of promoting gambling.

“Fifa literally promote gambling to children,” he said on Twitter, “This whole thing is so fucking pathetic. Not to mention that they still, to this day, hold the belief that loot boxes aren’t gambling. Biggest hypocrites of all time.”

Not to mention that they still, to this day, hold the belief that loot boxes aren’t gambling. Biggest hypocrites of all time.

— Luke (@Lukedutchh) May 27, 2023

This isn’t the first time EA has removed players due to legal drama in the real world. Mason Greenwood was previously removed from FIFA 22 after being arrested for sexual assault, though charged in the case were ultimately dropped earlier this year.

In some countries, FIFA Ultimate Team, or FUT, has come under intense scrutiny, with some going as far to call it gambling, and others even outlawing it altogether. In February, an Austrian court ruled that FIFA’s Ultimate Team packs were illegal gambling, in a lawsuit brought against Sony by a 17-year-old who’d spent over €300 on the cards.

Australia is also set to introduce harsher laws around lootboxes and simulated gambling, with the country attempting to legislate a law that would require any games with simulated gambling to be restricted to adults only.