eFootball and PES remove Mason Greenwood following sexual assault allegations

Manchester United footballer Mason Greenwood was recently accused of rape and assault by a woman on Instagram, after which he was arrested by Greater Manchester Police.

Manchester United has said Greenwood will not play for the club until further notice. Konami has now announced it has removed Mason Greenwood from its football titles (thanks, The Athletic), meaning PES 2021 and eFootball. In a statement the publisher said:

“In light of the serious allegations made against Mason Greenwood, the player will be removed from our football titles until further notice.

“Specifically for PES 2021 on mobile, users cannot newly obtain the player, but existing owners are unaffected. KONAMI condemns violence of any kind. While police inquiries are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

Greenwood does remain in Football Manager, for the moment. Developer Sports Interactive said in a statement that it “has not yet made a decision as to Mason Greenwood’s status in Football Manager 2022 and will not do so until the findings of the current police investigation are made public. On previous occasions where players have been suspended by their clubs under similar circumstances, we have removed them from the game at the earliest opportunity.”

The news of the player’s arrest has led to a rush among companies to dissociate themselves and their products: Sporting brand Nike quickly suspended its relationship with Greenwood, while EA announced the player’s removal from FIFA products.

Greenwood was re-arrested last week on suspicion of sexual assault and making threats to kill, per the BBC, and has now been released on bail pending further investigations.