FIFA pro Kurt0411 banned from playing EA games after 'abusive and threatening' behaviour

Professional FIFA player Kurt 'Kurt0411' Fenech has had a rocky relationship with Electronic Arts for a while now, but the company seems to have finally had enough and banned him from playing all EA games and services.

A public feud between the gamer and the company has escalated since November 2019.EA, which owns FIFA and hundreds of other gaming titles, claimed that Fenech's behaviour “crosses a line of decency into very personal attacks” after he was caught swearing at other players in his live streams.

Initially reported by IGN, Kurt was temporarily banned from FIFA competitions in November 2019 for sustained abusive behaviour toward EA on his social media platforms and livestreams. The first was during a livestream when he called an opponent a “son of a b***h” and went on to say: “F**k you, EA”. Another time he spat on a scarf which had the EA logo stitched into it.

In a video response from November 2019, the outspoken EA critic seemed particularly unapologetic for his actions.

“Anyone that plays videogames has said that before to their opponents, especially in FIFA,” he said in the video. “The difference is, I've got a live camera in front of me. Does that change things? No. I don't care. I don't give a s**t that there's a camera in front of me. Why do I have to change what I say because there's a camera in front of me?”

Following Fenech's November ban, several EA staff Twitter accounts were hacked, an act that was seemingly supported by Kurt on his social media.

It appears that things have gone too far for EA. The company released a statement, saying that since the November ban, Kurt had posted abusive and threatening messages and videos about EA employees as well as other players.

"His messages have crossed a line of decency into very personal attacks and breach our Terms of Service. We will not tolerate threatening behaviour," said EA.

"As a result, today Kurt0411’s EA account will be banned from playing our games and accessing our services due to these serious and repeated violations. We build games and communities for players to have fun. Creating a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone without fear of harassment or abuse is a vital part of that.

"We have an ongoing focus to create communities where everyone feels safe and respected, including in-game toxicity reporting tools as well as new moderation tools. And, we will continue to add more features.”

Fenech tweeted today about how far EA's ban extends, sharing a picture of an email he was sent.

It's not uncommon for steamers or professional players to be banned from certain games or services.

A recent high-profile ban was slapped on a Fortnite: Battle Royale player FaZe Jarvis, who has been banned for life from Fortnite after being found cheating in the game.

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