FIFA pro says he won’t buy any FIFA points this year, and his team support his decision

Tim "Tim Latka" Schwartmann, a professional FIFA player who is currently signed with FC Schalke 04 Esports, has announced that he won't buy any FIFA Points in FIFA 21. He believes your wallet shouldn't define your gaming skills, and in a stunning show of support, his team has backed his decision.

Our FIFA athlete @timlatka announced that he won't buy any FIFA Points this year as he doesn't agree that your wallet shouldn't define your gaming skills.

We support his decision and decided to donate the amount of money we would have given to him to the Robert Enke Foundation. pic.twitter.com/O0AVZ3Kgah

— Schalke 04 Esports (@S04Esports) September 26, 2020

“A couple of weeks ago, Latka approached us saying that he didn’t feel like spending real-life money on his ultimate team yet again,” said Darius, a representative from the club. “We wholeheartedly decided to support this decision because we too feel like that your wallet shouldn’t impact your gaming ability.”

(Picture: Schalke 04)

FIFA's Ultimate Team mode, which is used as the basis for the sport, has been likened to gambling and is the subject of inquiries and legal proceedings in numerous countries around the world.

Latka's opinion is one that is echoed throughout the FIFA community and it’s welcoming to see someone who has previously profited off the game mode (through his YouTube videos) decide to no longer spend money on, and in turn promote, FIFA Ultimate Team.

“I’ve decided for myself to play FIFA 21 without any FIFA points,” said Latka. “I can identify myself way better with it. I have a certain responsibility and I haven’t made a video for a long time where I opened packs with FIFA points. That’s why I want to stick to this way and play without FIFA points.”

A full video of his explanation can be found here:

It’s not often that an esports organization will support a player’s decision that could impact their performance, but it seems like FC Schalke 04 Esports have complete confidence in Latka’s ability and determination. 

Needless to say, he is extremely grateful for their support. “Big shoutout to S04 Esports who supported me which is not self-evident,” he said. “I guess not every team would’ve supported that.”

Normally, an esports organisation would give their player a lump sum to spend on their ultimate team. In this case, it would have been around €2000. But FC Shalke 04 Esports and Latka have mutually decided to donate the money to the Robert Enke Foundation instead, a cause which the club has supported since the goalkeeper's death.

(Picture: Felix Gemein)

“We would like to Latka all the best for the upcoming season,” said the club. “We are very, very excited for him and his teammates to compete in all FIFA competitions and we hope you are as well and you’ll be supporting him and us in this season. Thank you very much.”

FIFA 21 officially releases on 9th October, but those who pre-order the Ultimate Edition or Champions Edition will have access on 6th October. Unfortunately, there won’t be a demo this year. So all we can do is twiddle our thumbs and wait until the release day.