crimson maple
There have been many studies on this. EA, being a billion dollar company, I am sure you can AI this and look at them. I did.
In EAFC players can detect manipulation through three signals.
Physics or rules violations.
For example when you make a clean tackle but the ball just bounces straight back to the attacker, or when player movement suddenly behaves differently than it normally does.
Outcome probability anomalies.(AI term)
Things that should be extremely consistent suddenly are not. In soccer terms your basic 5 yard passes that you make all game suddenly do not make it, or go directly to the opponent. Things that normally have a very high success rate start failing in clusters.
Loss of control.
This is the biggest one. The same inputs suddenly produce different results. Sprinting feels slower, passes become heavy, defenders stop reacting the way they normally do.
Players cannot see the code, but the human brain is extremely good at noticing statistical irregularities in the experience. Over time those irregularities add up and people start to feel that something in the system is RIGGED.