Just a few moments ago, a representative of GAM Esports – Mr. Nguyễn “Izumin” Khánh Hiệp – the Operations Director of this esports organization, unexpectedly posted a statement directly naming former coach Tinikun, with content that “warns” about the recent incident involving GAM’s player Kiaya.
Specifically, after Tinikun’s post stating “Kiaya wants to leave GAM due to being owed a bonus from the previous tournament, amounting to 35 million VND” was shared, GAM Esports once again became the center of discussion within the gaming community, prompting Izumin to personally speak out to avoid further damage to the team’s reputation from similar incidents.
The full text of Izumin’s post is as follows:
“Dear Mr. D.N.D.Thanh – Founder of W.C – the sponsor of SGB – the team we faced just two days ago. I do not understand why you chose this moment to bring a private matter to the internet, attacking the youngest member of our team, who just recently had an excellent performance against your sponsored team.”
“Through this post, I, Izumin Khánh Hiệp, current COO of GAM eSports, also announce that I have transferred the remaining amount owed to you on behalf of Kiaya. After reviewing operational costs, GAM was not aware of the personal loan you provided to Kiaya. Thank you for notifying GAM. After discussing with Kiaya, he has returned 10 million to you, while GAM, on behalf of Kiaya, will send you 25 million.”
“I want to reaffirm that Kiaya’s desire is to always stay and contribute to GAM until retirement. GAM will always offer appropriate rewards for Kiaya as well as for players who wish to stay with the organization.”
“As men and individuals working for different esports organizations, I hope you will act appropriately as someone involved in professional esports, especially since you are still acting as a “technical consultant” as well as directly sponsoring another team participating in the VCS, which is one of our competitors.”
“We always strive to exemplarily comply with all rules, avoiding all scandals and online disputes. We wish to resolve and communicate officially between organizations, between companies or individuals, addressing various disputes based on VCS laws and local laws.”
“GAM has undergone many changes in recent years, so we chose to part ways with the old team quietly, addressing all “leftover consequences” in hopes of continuing to invest in esports seriously, avoiding scandals and troubles. COVID-19 has arrived and severely impacted all aspects of social life. Like other organizations, we have faced difficulties and struggles during this time; however, we always choose to resolve everything correctly and to the best of our ability.”
“Since acquiring the GAM eSports team in May 2019, the management has always been committed to building GAM into a strong organization, a pride and trust for fans of esports in Vietnam.”
“Our silence in the face of numerous dramas before was not without reason, but with a young player in high form at risk of being affected in terms of image and competitive mentality, we had to speak up to first protect our player and secondly, because we always want to conduct esports cleanly, avoiding tricks, scandals, and underhanded dealings… GAM always aims for the highest competitive achievements in all tournaments, but GAM must play fair, give their all, and provide the audience with spectacular matches.”
“At GAM eSports in the summer of 2020, when we decided to ‘tear down and rebuild,’ we only wished to be treated fairly and given the opportunity to build a clean and serious esports environment. Only then can we have a healthy environment to attract more organizations and investors, both domestic and foreign, to participate in building Vietnamese esports, especially in the context of SEA GAMES 31 in 2021 taking place in Vietnam, where we all hope League of Legends will be chosen as an official esports discipline.”
“Wishing you, the audience, continue to trust and support GAM as the Vietnamese League of Legends scene continues to grow.”
GAM eSports.
07.05.2020″
This is the first time GAM Esports has officially released a statement responding to posts by former team coach Dương “Tinikun” Nguyễn Duy Thanh regarding internal issues within GAM.
Since leaving GAM Esports, Tinikun has repeatedly posted content discussing the team’s salary debts to its players. Yesterday, this former coach specifically named Kiaya – GAM’s top laner, claiming he wanted to leave GAM due to the team not paying him a bonus of 35 million VND from the previous season.
In response to this accusation, Izumin stated that Tinikun’s posting of sensitive information coincidentally aligned with GAM Esports’ match against Saigon Buffalo – a team sponsored by Tinikun’s organization, We Scan, was a move to apply pressure and create division within GAM’s leadership and its players, specifically targeting Kiaya, to bring about a favorable outcome for SGB.
Explaining GAM’s silence in the face of Tinikun’s recent accusations, Izumin stated that this was a move stemming from the team’s direction, aimed at building a professional esports foundation and limiting any contentious issues on social media.
It can be seen that with the above actions, the rumors of Tinikun leaving GAM Esports due to internal disagreements are entirely credible, and the issues between these two names will likely continue, as the former coach remains an active figure in the Vietnamese professional League of Legends system as a sponsor, and the conflict of interest with “former lover” GAM Esports is something that will naturally occur.