Iceland will not appear in Fifa 17 despite Euro 2016 heroics
The European minnows knocked England out of this summer's tournament
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Your support makes all the difference.Iceland will not appear in Fifa 17 after a disagreement between the creators of the game EA Sports and the country’s football association.
Many expected the Euro 2016 quarter finalists to be included in the game after their heroics in qualifying second from their group before knocking out England, but there will be no Icelandic clap echoing around the virtual stadia on the game.
The Icelandic football association KSI said EA’s offer of $15,000 (£11,500) for the right to use the country’s trademarks and image rights in the game was below their expectations.
KSI rejected the amount and made a counter offer to the company which was not accepted by EA.
“They are the ones buying these rights and they almost want it for free,” said KSI president Geir Thorsteinsson.
“The performance at the Euros show that we are quite a good team and many would like to play with our team.
“It’s sad for the players – but the criticism should be towards EA Sports.
“I really feel if we are giving away rights, or offering rights, it has to be proper negotiations and fair fees.
“I didn’t feel that this was done in a fair and open manner.”
Despite ranking 27th in the world, Iceland have never appeared on an edition of the game.
A total of 47 men’s international sides will appear on the game, with India the lowest ranked side, currently 147th in the world.
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