Former Soccer Player Lashes Out at FIFA Video Game for Giving Male and Female Players Similar Ratings: ‘They’re Distorting Reality’

Ahmad Austin Jr.Feb 28th, 2024, 12:26 pm
 

Retired English soccer play Joey Barton has taken issue with male and female players having similar ratings in a video game.

On his podcast Common Sense with Joey Barton, the 41-year-old told a story about playing the popular game FIFA — which has been renamed to EA Sports FC — with a friend. Barton was surprised to learn that in the game, the women actually have comparable ratings to the men. This is likely done to make the women viable options in Ultimate Team, a game mode that allows gamers to form fantasy teams with a wide variety of pros from all eras.

“There’s women’s players rated at the same as men — the top players,” Barton said. “The thing for me is they’re distorting reality. Reality’s being distorted because Aaron Collins, for instance — who’s at Bolton Wanderers — is rated 62, let’s say, on FIFA; but Beth Mead, who plays at Arsenal, is at 84. So, you’re better signing Beth Mead even though, in real life, Beth Mead should be rated 40 on the card compared to Aaron Collins at 62 or whatever.”

For those familiar with Barton, the comments don’t come as a surprise. The former midfielder routinely bashes women’s soccer and advocates for removing women from the announcing booth during men’s games.

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