Cole Palmer has found himself in an unexpected off-field controversy after the Chelsea star was hit with a Twitch suspension for streaming EA Sports FC 27 before its planned early-access period.
The England international went live on Tuesday, attracting thousands of viewers as he opened Ultimate Team packs and played the unreleased football game.
But the stream was suddenly cut short — and Palmer's Twitch account was subsequently reported as banned.
The timing immediately raised eyebrows because EA Sports FC 27 is not scheduled for global release until 25 September, with early access beginning on 18 September.
Palmer appeared to have access to the new game ahead of its public release and decided to share the experience with his Twitch audience.
The Chelsea midfielder spent more than an hour streaming gameplay, including Ultimate Team content, before the broadcast abruptly ended.
Thousands of viewers had already watched Palmer showcase the game when the situation took an unexpected turn.
The official EA Sports FC account reportedly appeared in the stream's chat with a message indicating that the company had planned to go live later that day.
Shortly afterwards, Palmer's stream disappeared.
Reports subsequently emerged that Palmer's Twitch account had been suspended.
A screenshot reportedly showed a suspension relating to copyrighted material, although Twitch and EA Sports have not publicly provided a detailed explanation of the sanction.
That distinction is important because Palmer having access to the game does not necessarily mean he was authorised to broadcast the unreleased gameplay whenever he wanted.
The incident also demonstrated how quickly footage from a high-profile player's stream can spread online, even after the original broadcast has been removed.
Palmer did not appear too concerned about the situation.
The Chelsea star responded through Instagram, tagging EA Sports FC and Twitch while jokingly appealing for his account to be restored.
His message suggested that he was simply giving fans what they wanted.
The reaction quickly became another part of the story, with Palmer turning an awkward gaming mishap into another entertaining moment for his followers.
The stream also produced some amusing moments involving Palmer's own in-game player card.
The Chelsea star reportedly discovered that his overall rating had dropped from 87 to 85.
Palmer was quick to question the decision, particularly given the injury problems that affected his previous campaign.
He also compared his statistics with Chelsea teammate Morgan Rogers and questioned why Rogers had been given more pace despite Palmer's disagreement with the rating.
The incident offered fans an unusual glimpse into how a Premier League star reacts when seeing his virtual counterpart inside the game.
EA Sports FC 27 is scheduled for global release on 25 September, while early access begins on 18 September.
Palmer's stream therefore gave viewers access to gameplay before the planned public window.
Whether the Twitch suspension is temporary or how EA ultimately views the incident remains unclear from the publicly available information.
For now, Palmer appears to have taken the situation in typically light-hearted fashion.
But his attempt to give fans an early preview of the new game has certainly produced more attention than he expected.
⚽ Goal: What do you think of Cole Palmer's FC 27 rating?
🔥 Fire: Should Palmer have waited until the official streaming window?
😲 Shock: Were you surprised to see a Premier League star streaming the unreleased game?
👍 Like: Do you enjoy seeing footballers show their personalities outside football?
💬 Comment: Should Twitch unban Palmer?
