EA has a FIFA player for the rest of his life after he sent racist messages to a former football player. Patrick O’Brien missed an Ultimate Team game with a virtual version of Ian Wright, which prompted the teenager to send 20 abusive messages to Wright on Instagram last May.
O’Brien was accused of the incident. Although he pleaded guilty, a judge spared the 18-year-old Irishman a criminal conviction. The judge acknowledged that O’Brien showed legitimate remorse – he apologized to Wright and made a donation to the Irish Network against Racism. Although Wright forgave O’Brien, he expressed disappointment at the result.
“Looking at this judgment, I can only ask myself what kind of deterrence is there for anyone who says this kind of racist abuse,” wrote Wright, a retired player who won the Premier League with Arsenal, on Twitter. death to me because of the color of my skin. No statement by the judge of ‘naivety’ or ‘immaturity’ will be acceptable to us. “
Although O’Brien is not going to spend time in prison because of his messages, he is dealing with the consequences of his actions elsewhere, following his permanent ban on FIFA games.
“We highly value [Wright’s] partnership and support, and we also want him to know he has our support, “said David Jackson, vice president of FIFA’s EA brand . “This player behavior was unacceptable at all levels and we will not tolerate it. Our Positive Playing Card guides our actions in a situation like this, and we take steps to permanently ban the player from playing or accessing our games. Racism must stop. We are committed to continue our work in a positive way, through actions that make our communities fun, fair and safe for everyone ”.
In his podcast, Wright praised EA for sending a message that “be it race, religion, sex, whatever, no discrimination will be tolerated”.
Several UK football players suffered abuse and racism on Instagram. The service that will take “tougher action” instead of harassment in direct messages.