During the ongoing Spring 2020 LCK Finals at LoL Park, fans were taken aback when they learned that T1 was stripped of 2 ban picks for arriving at the venue 30 minutes late. This penalty was enforced in Game 1 of the current match.
This is undoubtedly a massive disadvantage for T1, as losing 2 ban picks will significantly impact their strategic execution.
Additionally, the reason for T1’s late arrival is a major question, as given the importance of this match, there should be no excuse for T1’s staff to operate so carelessly.
Upon receiving news of the penalty, Joe Marsh – the President of T1 immediately took to Twitter to express his outrage at the handling of the situation by the tournament organizers:
“So you’re saying T1 arrived at LoL Park 30 minutes late due to a misunderstanding, and the LCK organizers decided to strip us of 2 ban picks? This is how you tarnish a championship match. We’ve worked hard all year. Fine, take the championship prize money. Don’t ruin the game. This whole situation is ridiculous.”
“This isn’t just any match. It’s the LCK championship. Gen.G doesn’t even want this to happen, but they have no choice but to go along with it.”
“The LCK staff is truly a joke…”
According to the president, T1 arriving 30 minutes late was due to a mistake on the part of the organizers, and because of this, the finals match had to be delayed. However, even with this explanation, T1 still faced penalties for being late, which left Joe Marsh extremely upset, even going as far as to criticize the organization of the LCK as “a joke.”