EA Sports has reinstated Mason Greenwood for FC 24 after a two-game absence from the FIFA games.
Greenwood was pulled from FIFA 22 following his arrest on January 30, 2022, and was not included in last year’s FIFA 23. Charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped on February 2 this year. He denied all the alleged offences.
Following his loan move to Spanish side Getafe, Greenwood is now back in the game for FC 24. In a statement issued to IGN, EA confirmed Greenwood appears in FC 24 as part of the active roster of players at Getafe, but will not appear in the Ultimate Team mode at launch.
“EA Sports FC 24 authentically reflects the active rosters of teams and clubs in the real world of football,” the statement reads. “As he is now part of an active roster with Getafe CF, Mason Greenwood will be included in FC 24. As Greenwood was not part of an active roster at the time of our cut-off date for final team and player data, he will not appear in Ultimate Team at launch.”
Last month, Man United announced Greenwood would leave the club following an internal investigation. “All those involved, including Mason, recognise the difficulties with him recommencing his career at Manchester United,” the club said in a statement issued at the time.
“It has therefore been mutually agreed that it would be most appropriate for him to do so away from Old Trafford, and we will now work with Mason to achieve that outcome.
“Based on the evidence available to us, we have concluded that the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that Mason did not commit the offences in respect of which he was originally charged. That said, as Mason publicly acknowledges today, he has made mistakes which he is taking responsibility for.”
EA’s decision follows a similar call from Football Manager maker Sports Interactive, which recently confirmed Greenwood’s return for this year’s Football Manager 2024.
Greenwood’s omission from Ultimate Team may work to prevent offensive and toxic club composition from players in the incredibly popular mode. In July, EA Sports defended its decision to let men and women footballers play together in this year’s Ultimate Team mode, and said it’s using new tech to combat toxic behavior online.
With the addition of women into Ultimate Team, there is concern about increased online toxicity. FIFA has in the past drawn criticism for racist user-generated content in the Pro Clubs mode, but Ultimate Team has suffered similar problems. Players are bracing themselves for everything from sexist club names to inappropriate team composition once FC 24 comes out in September and Ultimate Team players venture online.
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Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.