Diego Maradona Wants To Sue Konami: PES 2017

Diego Maradona plans to take legal action against Konami for using his likeness without his permission in the latest PES 2017 game. PES 2017 has a number of retired players that it calls "Legends", available for use in the MyClub mode, and of course, Diego Maradona is on that list. While it definitely isn't surprising to us, Diego Maradona was not aware that he ever gave Konami permission to include him in the game, and he's not happy about it to say the least. Maradona is actually the highest rated player on the list, coming in at an overall rating of 97, compared to the second highest 94 for Lionel Messi. He definitely isn't one for flattery, that's for sure.



Older PES games included Diego Maradona in the list, but this time, Konami actually felt comfortable using his name. Usually, they would include him in the game, but hide his identity behind a fake name, even though everyone clearly knew who he was. Even without his name, the character clearly looks like Maradona right down to his puffy hair. You don't really have to see the name to guess who he is, it's pretty obvious. This year, Konami decided that they were in the legal clear to use his name, but Diego Maradona thinks otherwise. It's entirely possible that Maradona signed something, now knowing fully what he was allowing, or Konami could have made a mistake. 

Maradona made a statement on his Facebook page, and it didn't seem too pretty. Konami has not issued an official response yet, but it looks like legal action might take place. I wonder if he's aware that his image has been used in countless other PES games under an alias name. Either way, we'll find out soon enough whether or not Konami is in the clear. Until then, stay tuned to GZU for more news.

"I heard yesterday that the Japanese company Konami uses my image for its game PES 2017. Unfortunately, my lawyer Matias Morla will initiate the corresponding legal actions. I hope this is not another scam..."