FIFA 17 has come under fire from Russian MPs for its support of an LGBT sports campaign, with requests made that the state communications oversight agency take action against the game.

As reported by Izvestia newspaper, Communist MPs contacted the communications oversight and state consumer protection agencies, stating that FIFA 17 "invites users to support the English football premier league's Rainbow Laces action, a massive campaign in support of LGBT." They claim that is contravenes Russian laws prohibiting "gay propoganda".

The controversy centres around EA Sports distribution of free rainbow-coloured uniforms within FIFA 17's Ultimate Team mode in support of the Rainbow Laces campaign by LGBT rights organisation Stonewall. The campaign encourages the donning of rainbow laces in sport, and to aims to raise awareness of homophobia and transphobia in the sporting world.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Open tolerance or promotion of "non-traditional sexual relations" is prohibited by Russian law, and the letter from MPs suggests that FIFA 17 could pose "harm to children's health and development".

FIFA 17 is developed by EA Canada. Communist MP Valery Rashkin told Izvestia that after the appropriate procedures had been followed, the developer should be instructed to"introduce changes to the programming code or the age classification of this information product, and if it refuses, adopt corresponding restrictive measures".

For five consecutive years, EA has been awarded a 100 per cent rating in the Human Rights Campaign's LGBT equality report. Many of the publisher's games also now feature characters that identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

The publisher has yet to respond to the reports from Russia.

via the Guardian

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io