Zlatan Ibrahimovic caused something of a stir at the end of 2020 when he asked who had given EA Sports permission to use his name and face on FIFA 21.
It served to demonstrate that the question of image rights is a serious one for footballers and football teams, with financial considerations associated.
In many cases, video game companies such as EA Sports, Sports Interactive and Konami must negotiate agreements with various parties in order to gain permission to reproduce likenesses in virtual media.
EA Sports' FIFA franchise is one of the most extensive and realistic football games on the market, but even it has been impacted.
Here, Goal takes a look at the clubs that are not officially in FIFA 21.
Which clubs are not officially in FIFA 21?
The most high-profile 'absence' from FIFA 21 in terms of official nomenclature and team badges is undoubtedly Juventus - known as 'Piemonte Calcio' in the EA Sports game.
Juve's absence is the result of an exclusive deal the Italian club has with Konami, which has been in place since FIFA 20.
While Juventus are not officially in FIFA 21, it is in appearance only - EA Sports says "generic kits and crests" are used. Real-world players, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Dybala, are still included.
A number of other clubs from Serie A are also not officially represented in FIFA 21, including Roma (Roma FC), Spezia (La Spezia) and FC Crotone (Crotone).
| Club | Name in FIFA 21 |
|---|---|
| Boca Juniors | Buenos Aires |
| Corinthians | Oceanico FC |
| Juventus | Piemonte Calcio |
| River Plate | Nunez |
| Roma | Roma FC |
| Spezia Calcio | La Spezia |
| FC Crotone | Crotone |
Argentine behemoths Boca Juniors and River Plate are known as 'Buenos Aires' and 'Nunez' in the game, meaning the Superclasico will have a different feel to it in the latest edition of FIFA.
One Brazilian club appears in altered form in FIFA 21 is Corinthians - donning the moniker 'Oceanico FC'.
A number of other major Brazilian clubs only appear in the game in the Copa Libertadores tournament: Sao Paulo, Vasco da Gama, Flamengo, Palmeiras, Sport Recife and Red Bull Bragantino.
According to EA Sports, Brazilian clubs launch with generic player names and are not included in Ultimate Team.
It is also somewhat complicated when it comes to international teams on FIFA 21, with a number of teams playing in generic kits and flags used in place of official badges.
The following international teams have generic kits, badges and players on FIFA 21:
- Ecuador
- India
- Uruguay
The following international team has authentic kit and badge, but generic players on FIFA 21:
- Brazil
The following international teams have generic kits and badges but real players on FIFA 21:
- Bolivia
- Bulgaria
- Cameroon
- Colombia
- Cote D'Ivoire
- Egypt
- Hungary
- Italy
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Switzerland
- Venezuela