EA Sports Fifa 21 Campaign Highlights Lack Of British Asian Footballers

The campaign from Adam&EveDDB won Channel 4's Diversity in Advertising award

By Creative Salon

23 April 2021

The campaign for EA SPORTS by Adam&EveDDB that won Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising award launches on TV tonight and highlights the lack of British Asian representation in professional football.

The campaign celebrates the grassroots football team: the Midnight Ramadan League and features Premier League star and newly signed EA SPORTS FIFA Ambassador, Hamza Choudhury.

Directed by Bassam Tariq and produced by Pulse Films, the ad tells the story of Qaiser, a British Asian teenager and role model to his younger sister, Aaminah. After breaking his fast, we follow Qaiser as he leaves the family home late at night before arriving at the Midnight Ramadan League pitch. Following a robust tackle that knocks Qaiser to the floor, we see Leicester City midfielder and his role model, Hamza Choudhury, lift him up off the pitch before taking the ball and scoring a goal. The ad concludes with Qaiser arriving back home, exhilarated by the game and explaining the night to his excited younger sister.

The campaign will run across 4Sales’ entire portfolio of channels as well as All 4, utilising the competition’s grand prize of £1m of commercial airtime funding. It taps into research that shows role models are a powerful force for driving positive change in the game by inspiring the next generation, encouraging parental support as well as tackling misconceptions and prejudice. The Midnight Ramadan League was set-up to help those who struggle to play during their Ramadan fast, with matches kicking-off after Iftar and before Suhoor.

Bassam Tariq, director, commented: “Though the film has countless men running around the screen, it’s important to note that this spot was built from the ground up by Black and Brown women leading the charge - both from EA SPORTS and adam&eveDDB. It was an honour to work with them and have these strong women as my guiding light. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever direct such an unapologetically Muslim commercial with my fellow sisters and brothers in faith.”

Selma Ahmed, senior creative at adam&eveDDB, said: “We chose intentionally to work with people who have a lived experienced and nuanced understanding of the culture and community we are celebrating. From the director, Bassam Tariq to the music composer Ben Khan. It’s a real testament to the power of having different voices and perspectives in the industry, so we are able to tell these stories the way they deserve to be told.”

The winning TV activity is part of the wider ‘Inspire The Next Generation’ EA SPORTS campaign, which aims to start fixing the cycle that has been holding back British Asian football talent for generations.

To further support the campaign, EA SPORTS has unveiled a number of initiatives including a comic book written by Hamza, titled 'Hamza: My Story’. The book documents his upbringing as a British Asian and his journey to make it as a professional footballer. It will be distributed to Premier League Primary Stars and Show Racism the Red Card linked schools to help inspire the next generation to follow their dreams.

EA SPORTS has also released a number of bespoke FIFA 21 Midnight Ramadan League inspired in-game assets. These include an exclusive Midnight Ramadan League kit and stadium dressing, featuring a stylised centre circle flag and a custom tifo. The assets will be available in FIFA Ultimate Team on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC until 29th April 2021.

For the first time in the history of Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award the broadcaster is awarding an enhanced package of £350,000 of free advertising airtime to Lloyds Bank (MediaCom x GUAP Studios) for their ‘highly commended’ campaign in a match-funding arrangement.

CREDITS

Client: EA SPORTS

Brand: FIFA

Project/Campaign name: FIFA21 x C4 Diversity in Advertising

First Air Date: 23.04.21

Client: Sameena Ramsden – Northern Europe Partnerships Associate, FIFA Brand

Sola Kasali – Associate Product Manager

Alex Elms – Associate Creative Director

Jack Wright – Content Producer

Andy Gillooley – Senior Producer

Paul Marr – Senior Director, Creative

Daria Zlobina – Associate Manager, Media Activation