FIFA 21: Absence of Martin Tyler and Alan Smith Commentary Infuriates Fans

FIFA 21 is seeing its worldwide release today (10/9), and unfortunately, the commentary duo is not featured in the game as SportBible reported.

For the first time since 2005, the default English punditry will solely be voiced by Lee Dixon and Derek Rae. Tyler first appeared in FIFA 06 alongside Andy Gray while Smith made his debut in FIFA 12.

However, for the first time, a female Spanish commentator will make her debut in the series. Nira Juanco, a 42-year-old Gol Television commentator, will make her FIFA debut this year.

In real-life, she covers La Liga and Champions League matches and F1 races, as Somag News reported.

"Super proud to be able to officially announce with great fanfare that I am coming out in FIFA 21 (first female voice in history). Many thanks to EA SPORTS for the incredible opportunity!" she tweeted.

Juanco also received her very-own personalized FIFA 21 copy with her face on the cover.

FIFA 21 Fans Reaction

Actually turned commentary off on FIFA 21, cannot bear having Lee Dixon slating every single thing either player does anymore on FUT and no Martin Tyler/Alan Smith at all. Hate the Rae/Dixon team! Who the f*ck is Bruno Fernanj? #FIFA21 #fifacommentary — Grahame Peter Singleton (@LuxrayLionheart) October 6, 2020

This news is downright a saddening moment. Nobody is going to tell us how the Netherlands used 4-3-3 all the time anymore.

One fan tweeted, "Just clocked that Martin Tyler has been dropped from FIFA 21, meaning we only have Derek Rae and Lee Dixon's greasy voices..."

"Hate the Rae/Dixon team! Who the f*ck is Bruno Fernanj?" others expressed their dissatisfaction.

"EA removing Martin Tyler and Alan Smith and making Lee Dixon and Derek Rae the main FIFA 21 commentators is as big of a downgrade as Manchester United and players who have worn the number 7," another fan referenced the similarity of FIFA 21 and Manchester United.

FIFA 21 New Features

EA celebrated the annual tradition of the FIFA franchise by reconstructing the game's broken mechanism. Breaking an opponent's defensive line as harder than ever, and so is defending. It also improves the AI's decision-making ability and promises to bring 'authentic character behaviors ever seen in sports gaming.'

On top of that, after years of neglect, EA finally revamps the Career Mode for the first time. You can now sim any game at your disposal in 2D-view à la Football Manager and jump into the game on any match-deciding moment.

You can also now tweak your players' position, for example, turning a pacey full-back into an explosive winger. Youth set-ups and training schedule also see a massive improvement.

The 'Volta' street football is making a comeback to the series. It features a couple of new locations, such as Sao Paolo, Roma, and Dubai.

Release Date & Supported Systems

FIFA 21 is seeing a worldwide release today on PS4, Switch, Windows, and Xbox One. A current-gen purchase comes with a 'Dual Entitlement' program, letting you upgrade your game to the next-gen console version at zero cost.