Esports organizers have a love-hate relationship with teams building intense rivalries, creating content, and entertaining fans. Riot Games recently took action against Karmine Corp, Movistar KOI, and midlaner Joseph “Jojopyun” Pyun following a dramatic weekend at the LEC Roadtrip event in Madrid.
The drama started when a clip surfaced online criticizing the opening match attendance. Instead of ignoring it, Movistar KOI founder Ibai Llanos responded, suggesting that given KC’s performance, the crowd size was surprisingly decent.
This led to a heated exchange between Karmine Corp founder Kameto and Ibai Llanos, resulting in the cancellation of a highly anticipated showmatch between the two teams.
A Costly Choice of Words
Riot Games deemed this public feud as “Conduct unbecoming of an LEC team member” and fined both organizations €5,000 ($5,799.18) each, as first reported by Sheep Esports.
Hosting a major event on home turf may generate excitement, but it can also lead to financial penalties from the league.
Movistar KOI midlaner Jojopyun received a €2,000 ($2,319.67) fine for his on-air comments about their upcoming match against KC, contrasting with KC’s Caliste who faced no repercussions for a similar incident.
“We are gonna f**k KC so hard the next game,” Jojopyun stated during an interview.
This is Jojopyun’s second warning for inappropriate language on-air in less than a year, making him the only team member with a disciplinary record. The timing of these fines adds tension to their upcoming match.
Both teams are set to compete in a crucial best-of-five series, with the winner advancing to the split finals and securing a spot in the Mid-Season Invitational. The stakes are high, and the on-stage banter is expected to be costly.