'FIFA 22' to remove Russian clubs from all games due to war with Ukraine

"FIFA 22" is removing all Russian clubs from its games as a result of the country's war with Ukraine.

EA Sports, the company that makes FIFA games, announced the decision Wednesday, saying the company "stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people."

EA Sports said it is starting the process of removing all Russian clubs from "FIFA 22," FIFA mobile and FIFA online. The company is also "evaluating related changes to other areas of our games."

Russian athletes and teams have been banned from sporting events over the country's invasion of — and war with — Ukraine. Russian figure skaters, including Kamila Valieva, were banned from the world championships in France. The NHL suspended its relationship with all its Russian partners due to the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin was stripped of his honorary presidency by the International Judo Federation.

FIFA, the association, not the video game, already levied sanctions against Russia. The country will not take part in the 2022 World Cup or other international competitions as a result of the war with Ukraine. The ban also applies to the Russian women's national team.

'FIFA 22' is among best-selling games

"FIFA 22" is among the biggest video games in the sporting scene. Over 9 million players purchased "FIFA 22" the first week it was released. The game generates an obscene amount of revenue for EA Sports every year and is one of the company's biggest and most important franchises.

EA Sports has made similar changes in the past. The company removed former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden from "Madden" after Gruden resigned following anti-gay and misogynistic emails. The company also added former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's name back into the game after it was erroneously removed from a song on the game's soundtrack. The company also put Kaepernick back into the game in 2020.