Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy has been removed from FIFA 22, as he awaits trial on allegations of rape and sexual assault.
EA Sports, the publisher for the FIFA series, said in a statement to The Athletic: “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.”
27-year-old Mendy was arrested in August under suspicion of four counts of rape and one of sexual assault. Manchester City has suspended the player subject to an investigation.
Players of the popular sports game noticed Mendy was still involved in the game during EA Play’s early access part of the game. But EA has since removed him from their game as per the above quote.
An EA spokesperson added: “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.”
Mendy has made 75 appearances for The Cityzens since joining the club from French side AS Monaco in 2017, getting three goals and 14 assists.
His trial will not go ahead until January 24, 2022, and he is currently remanded in custody.