Even after its success in beating England at Euro 2016 in June and currently being ranked in the 27th spot worldwide, Iceland says no to EA Sports’s $15,000 offer for FIFA 17 national team rights.
The Knattspyrnusamband Íslands (KSI, Football Association of Iceland) said Electronic Arts offered Iceland’s soccer governing body US$15,000 for the team’s inclusion in the sports video game.
For KSI President Geir Thorsteinsson, the offer was too low to be a fair deal. “They are the ones buying these rights and they almost want it for free.”
Thorsteinsson added: “The performance at the Euros show that we are quite a good team and many would like to play with our team. It’s sad for the players – but the criticism should be towards EA Sports. I really feel if we are giving away rights, or offering rights, it has to be proper negotiations and fair fees.” To conclude, he said: “I didn’t feel that this was done in a fair and open manner.”
KSI responded with a counter offer that was not accepted by EA.
Iceland’s soccer team has never been featured in EA FIFA games, but it has seen huge success during its presence at the 2016 UEFA European Championship in France, where it made it into the the quarterfinals.
If Iceland’s soccer success continues, will EA offer a much better offer to the KSI?
[Source]: BBC: Fifa 17: Iceland team in ‘cash row’ with game developers EA.
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