As of now, this summer can be considered one of the most tumultuous seasons in the global League of Legends (LoL) community, particularly in the VCS region. On an international level, following the strike in the LCS, the LCK has been shaken by the troubles surrounding Clid.
Alongside this, one cannot overlook the controversies surrounding the Chinese LoL team for the ASIAD, which led to both JackeyLove and 369 withdrawing, while the team’s head coach faced allegations of favoritism. Additionally, T1 has recently lost Faker, as the rarely publicized injury of their mid-laner was disclosed in the media, resulting in him missing the match against DRX (T1 lost 0-2).
Just when it seemed that VCS would be free of any major upheaval, SBTC Esports has recently become the most talked-about name. Reports have emerged regarding negative incidents surrounding the team known as “Pink Chickens.” However, both the VCS organizers and SE have yet to make any official statements. The silence from all parties has resulted in all matches involving SE being indefinitely postponed. This not only affects SE but forces other teams in VCS to reevaluate their strategies and tactics to adapt to the current situation.
The reason behind the VCS organizers continuously canceling SE’s match schedule without any official announcements has left the Vietnamese LoL audience extremely confused. Recently, Coach Tinikun, one of the most prominent figures in the Vietnamese LoL scene and closely associated with SE, has spoken up. The former coach stated that SE’s incident will be shocking and unprecedented in the VCS and Vietnamese esports as a whole.
Coach Tinikun stated: “From my perspective, it seems the situation has gone beyond the control of all parties involved. The VCS tournament has been delayed due to the Road to Asian Games 2022. Therefore, the match schedule is quite tight, and postponing matches will take a lot of time. However, matches needing to be postponed indicate unforeseen circumstances.”
Moreover, Coach Tinikun mentioned that normally, the tournament organizers would immediately announce rescheduled dates, but in this case, they have only communicated postponements. He even suggested that the organizers are in a passive position, which is why they had to cite “technical issues” for the postponed matches. Coach Tinikun believes that giving such an explanation indicates that the VCS organizers have no better alternative. He also referenced the “slip of the tongue” incident involving Zeros years ago to emphasize the significance of this issue.
Additionally, Coach Tinikun believes that while the VCS organizers have not yet made any announcements, there may indeed be an ongoing investigation. He emphasized the seriousness of the situation, suggesting that once it is clearly revealed, it could be an unprecedented shock in the Vietnamese esports community.