Riot has recently announced the VCT 2023 partnership teams, but some brilliant Teams like XSET didn't make it in the list, and apparently Andrew Tate has something to do with it.
Riot has recently announced the VCT 2023 partnership teams, but some massive orgs didn't make it in the list. Especially the cancellation for XSET, who were in the middle of making a deal with G2 Esports, is a real shocker after their great performance at this year's VCT Champions tour. But why would Riot reject such a brilliant and famous team? And what has Andrew Tate to do with all this?
Andrew Tate Causes XSET's Rejection For VCT 2023 Partnership
The least we could have expected actually happened. Although Andrew Tate didn't actively do anything to cause XSET's rejection from Riot, he still plays a deciding role in it. Last week, G2 Esports CEO Carlos "Ocelote" Rodríguez posted a video of himself partying with Andrew Tate. A pretty controversial thing to do in the first place, right? Andrew Tate is known for his misogynistic statements and sexist comments on women. Well, it gets worse... after Ocelote posted the video on Twitter, he received a massive wave of hate comments, which he just blocked off by saying that he will "not let anyone police his friendships" and that he "parties with whoever the f*ck he wants". Well, as a result of his childlike and stubborn behavior, G2 Esports decided to suspend him.
This scandal did G2 Esports no good, especially when it came down to their open VCT 2023 application. This scandal happened at the worst timing possible. Riot had already decided on the partnership teams for the VCT in 2023, but didn't officially publish them yet. Apparently, the winning teams knew about their acceptance a few days in advance, to prepare for the reveal.
XSET already had a spot in the NA league and was just in the middle of syntonizing their roster, when Riot changed their mind and denied them the partnership for the VCT NA 2023. G2 has stated their interest in the XSET roster before, and was probably in the process of acquiring the Team and Coaches.
Of course, Riot had to react to the controversy in some way, so we can't really blame them. But it still is a super unfortunate situation for XSET as the team had nothing to do with it, but are still the ones to carry the consequences. XSET player "Zekken" even tweeted, that Andrew Tate has cost him a job.
having to explain to my mom how andrew tate cost me a job is not where i thought id be a month ago
— XSET Zekken (@zekkenVAL) September 22, 2022
Will XSET Play In The VCT 2023 After All?
I think we all feel sorry for XSET at this point, but will we ever get a chance to see them at the VCT 2023 at all? XSET players are now trying to join another team as restricted free agents for the coming VCT, preferably trying to stay together on their next squad. So we might be able to see some of our favorite players after all in 2023.
Teams who didn't get a partnership with Riot, still have a chance to enter the VCT in the challengers leagues, where the top teams actually have a chance to work their way up in ascension tournaments and ultimately have a chance to get into the international leagues. This concerns not only XSET but also OpTic Gaming, EDward Gaming and a lot of other teams who didn't get a partnership for the VCT 2023.
The next year's VCT is quite different from what we were used to in Valorant esports, here is everything you might want to know about the new format: