Midfielder Diogo Santos opens court proceedings against EA Sports

Portuguese footballer Diogo Santos has opened court proceedings against EA Sports, claiming compensation for the ‘misuse and abuse’ of his image in popular video game FIFA.

In the lawsuit, Santos is seeking compensation of £46,000 plus interest from the the US company that develops and produces the iconic video game.

The player, who featured for Felgueiras last season, claims EA Sports used, without permission, his name, image and his personal and professional features in the video games FIFA 2019 and FIFA Manager 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

The 37-year-old player says that he ‘has never given expressed authorisation, or even tacit approval, to whoever it may concern’ to be included in the games.

Santos says that he came across an article that stated EA Sports pays ‘a fortune to certain players, such as Lionel Messi, who received $50million to appear in their video games’.

‘The claimant [Diogo Santos] is not demanding to receive what Lionel Messi receives, but such a revelation proves that the amount sought, considering the financial resources of the defendant [the company] and what it pays to other players, is very modest’, according to court documents.

Sportsmail has approached EA Sports for comment. 

The case was brought to a court in Braga, which in September 2021 considered itself unable to assess and make a ruling on the claim.

The footballer then appealed to the Court of Appeal, which upheld the decision in the first instance. He then appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), which ruled in his favour, and thus triggered the continuation of proceedings.

As of May 24, the SCA stated that ‘the courts of the country, where the interests of the person who has sustained personal damages during the period in