Latam Defenders suspend player after racist remarks

Latam Defenders suspend player after racist remarks
Latam Defenders suspend player after racist remarks
posted by NanaKrustofski,
DPC player and position 5 support Jeanpierre 'Aretes' Rivera Perez was suspended by his organisation after racist remarks in a pub game. The player was also banned from BTS for their ongoing tournament. South American organisation Latam Defenders suspended their support player Jeanpierre 'Aretes' Rivera Perez due to racist behaviour in pub games.

The team posted an official statement on social media this Wednesday, 10 March, explaining they "reject any act of discrimination, racism, or unsporting behaviour". Aretes got suspended immediately until further notice.



The reason behind the suspension was a pub game in which the player posted several racist terms in all-chat. Latam Defenders are part of the DPC as they recently competed in the DPC21: S1 - SA Upper Division. The team finished the league in last place, meaning they will continue their run in the Lower Division next season. While naturally every player should behave correctly, the standards also rise for those who are signed by an organisation and become an official DPC player.



Tournament organiser Beyond the Summit followed with a statement as well. They declared that Aretes is no longer allowed to play in the remainder of the BTS Pro Series 5 and will also not receive any prize money for this event.



Racism is still a huge issue in the gaming scene in general, with Dota 2 being no exception. Regardless of the skill-level or rank of pub games, there are frequent racist remarks not only against people of colour, but also targeted at any nationality. There have also been several cases of pro players receiving punishment after such behaviour.

Despite being role models to many players, especially younger ones, there are still frequent problematic remarks in pub games from pro players, as shown in this collection of chat logs.

Photo credit: Valve

Comments