Riot's Decision on EMENES Following Xenophobic Remarks by C9 LoL Player -

October 4, 2023

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Riot’s Decision on EMENES Following Xenophobic Remarks by C9 LoL Player

Cloud9’s mid laner, Jang “EMENES” Min-soo, has received a reprimand from Riot Games for making xenophobic and derogatory remarks during a League of Legends ranked match in mid-September. Notably, he has avoided suspension just ahead of the World Championships set to begin next week.

On October 3, Riot issued the punishment, imposing a fine of $15,000 USD on the Korean player. Additionally, Riot mandated that EMENES must undergo an “educational training course on professionalism” before the start of the 2024 LCS season.

Competitive Ruling: Jang "EMENES" Min-soo

Read now at: https://t.co/O4ef8URdQg pic.twitter.com/WL23TWmwz3

— LTA North (@LTANorth) October 3, 2023

Riot’s investigation determined that EMENES had violated Section 14.3.3 regarding behavior and conduct. The investigation found that his comments directed at European League streamer Spear_shot were “offensive and derogatory,” even though Spear_shot was not found to have provoked EMENES during the match.

During the investigation, Riot also discovered multiple reports of behavioral misconduct on EMENES’ account that did not meet the standards of professional play, as well as reviews of the C9 mid laner’s social media posts.

EMENES submitted a statement during the disciplinary proceedings, and Riot took that, along with his public apology, into consideration when deciding on the appropriate course of action.

While this is EMENES’ first official offense according to Riot, the Korean player has a history of conduct-related issues dating back multiple seasons and across various regions. As a result, he has been warned that further violations “may result in escalated penalties.”

EMENES displayed frustration during a ranked match on September 15, where he referred to Spear_shot as a “disgusting EU streamer” and told him to “go back to your country.” EMENES later apologized to his fans on Twitter but maintained his frustrations toward Spear_shot and other streamers who, in EMENES’ view, negatively impacted the game by selecting different champions.

Historically, several players have faced suspensions for making racist remarks. For instance, Svenskeren received a three-match ban ahead of Worlds 2014 for using a derogatory name as his Summoner name, while OnFleek was also banned for three matches in 2020 for making a xenophobic statement during a solo queue match.

EMENES and Cloud9 have been in South Korea for a month as they prepare for Worlds. The Play-Ins for the tournament begin on October 10, with Cloud9 participating in the Swiss stage starting on October 19.