EA Sports set to remove Russian teams from NHL, FIFA games

As Vladimir Putin continues his assault on Ukraine, a growing number of companies have made the decision to cut ties with Russia.

In solidarity with Ukraine, EA Sports announced on Wednesday that it would be removing all Russian teams from its FIFA and NHL games.

In a statement via Twitter, the video game giant outlined its decision.

"EA Sports stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people," the statement begins, "and like so many across the world of football, calls for peace and an end to the invasion of Ukraine."

They go on to state that they have "initiated processes to remove the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from EA Sports FIFA products including: FIFA 22, FIFA mobile and FIFA online."

A similar statement was released by EA Sports NHL shortly after, mirroring the message of its football counterpart, but adding that Belarusian teams would be removed as well.

EA Sports' decision comes as international sports organizations ramp up efforts to boycott Russia. As Sportsnet reports, so far FIFA, UEFA, and the IIHF have banned all Russian teams from competing at all levels of play, and many European football squads have made the decision independently not to play in Russia or against teams based there.

Sports equipment brands have also cracked down on Russian athletes. On Tuesday, it was reported that CCM would stop using Russian superstars such as Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in global marketing. While they will no longer appear in ads, it is unlikely that CCM will end contracts with them, according to TSN.

Ovechkin in particular drew criticism from many, including former NHL legend Dominik Hasek, for failing to change his Instagram profile picture in which he is standing next to Vladimir Putin making a peace sign.