Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players in soccer - along with the likes of Pele and Zidane - will no longer be available in FC 25 Coins due to a third-party legal dispute. Following his passing in 2020. Maradona's rights have become an ongoing legal battle that puts his involvement in FC 25 Ultimate Teamure FIFA games at risk.
FC 25 Ultimate TeamSheriff broke the news on March 19. confirming Maradona's removal from all FC 25 Ultimate Team packs, Squad Building Challenges, and Drafts from FC 25. As of this writing, the decision made by EA is regarded as a suspension, leading to speculation on how long this decision will hold up. When EA signed a deal to use Maradona's likeness in its games, the belief was that his rights were owned by a friend and former manager, Stefano Ceci. Unfortunately, Ceci could not confirm his legal powers, leaving the deal up in the air as to whether he would continue to appear in current and FC 25 Ultimate Teamure FIFA installments.
The Argentine court has since confirmed that the trademark owner for Maradona‘s legal rights is Sattvica, the company of Matias Morla, who served as his lawyer. According to Argentinian sources, Morla gained control of the Maradona brand last August. This would imply that the deal signed between EA Sports and Stefano Ceci is now null and void, leading to the decision to suspend his likeness from the game. Regardless of the decision, players who currently hold any Maradona collection items will not lose them from their collections, but it's unknown whether they will be allowed to continue using him in FC 25 Ultimate Team.
Without knowing how long the legal dispute will last, it's up in the air whether Maradona will appear in buy EAFC 25 Coins or any other soccer-related games. Maradona's passing came back in November 2020. when the legend suffered a heart attack just two weeks after being released from hospital following successful brain surgery. While EA was successful in its $11 million loot box fine being overturned, this legal dispute takes any power the company may have had out of its hands, as a new deal will have to be signed with the correct owner of Maradona's rights, Matias Morla. When, or if, that happens remains to be determined.
