Following community backlash aimed at T1 for the management of its League of Legends team, Fnatic players Bwipo and Nemesis spoke up today in defense of the organization and the rumored coach for T1’s 2021 season, LS.
The reaction by the Fnatic players came after weeks of criticism toward the organization’s rumored decisions and the handling of the League team. Earlier today a small minority of T1 fans rented a truck with a large monitor to deliver several messages to SK Telecom, the majority stakeholder of T1. The messages read “No future for a team that shuts out devoted fans” and “We, SKT T1 fans, demand a clear and detailed explanation from top management.”
Bwipo defended the organization, saying that fans could not only look to other Korean teams to support, like the most recent world champions DAMWON Gaming, but support the team they love. “[T1] aren’t doing it to make their fans unhappy. They are making their decisions to help Faker earn his 4th Worlds trophy,” Bwipo said in a statement.
“What matters now is whether or not you are able to give your continued support to this team. Try to find a reason to support T1 once more, and focus on that,” he said. “Give T1 the space they need to make the decisions that they believe are best for them.”
This protest partly stemmed from the rumors of LCK color commentator LS to be the next coach of T1 for the upcoming season alongside former StarCraft II legend Polt. Bwipo and Nemsis, however, both argued in favor of LS. “He has shown to be more than capable in analysing as well as coaching League of Legends, for he has done nothing but since entering the scene,” Bwipo said.
Bwipo revealed that he had asked his management to contact LS and convince him to join Fnatic. But LS declined, he said, because he wanted to stay in Korea where he resides. Bwipo said that LS “loves” Korea, including its people, and refuted the baseless idea that LS is racist, which had circulated on Reddit.
Co-stream guest star and Fnatic mid laner Nemesis supported Bwipo’s statement. He said that LS was one of the most “influential” people in his life and he would not be in the position he is in without him, he said on Twitter.
Nemesis said that LS’ grandmother is being harassed and he’s “in a really bad spot,” he said on stream earlier today. “People are trying to do really bad things to him,” he said.
Although there has been an outcry of support for LS and his future, the LCK color commentator seemingly deactivated his Twitter account at the time of publication following criticism from T1 fans.
