Antonio ‘MartinezSa’ Martinez has apologised after being accused of using racist remarks towards The MongolZ during an ESL Pro League Season 22 match.
“What I said was completely inappropriate, and I now understand how disrespectful and hurtful it can be,” MartinezSa tweeted earlier on October 7th.
During a match between Gentle Mates and The MongolZ, MartinezSa could be heard on camera calling the Mongolian team ‘Jackie Chan,’ a popular martial artist and actor from Hong Kong. A lot of esports fans found this offensive as the clip went viral, with many accusing the player of being racist and questioning why the rest of the team seemed to support his behavior.
The MongolZ ultimately eliminated Gentle Mates from ESL Pro League Season 22.
MartinezSa Offers Apology to The Mongolz
After Gentle Mates was eliminated from the tournament, MartinezSa took to X to apologise to the team and the Counter-Strike 2 community.
MartinezSa stated that what he said was ‘completely inappropriate’ and ‘disrespectful.’ He then claimed that he was from a ‘different culture’ that may have made it more difficult to be ‘aware’ of certain words and references. He added: “But that’s not an excuse.”
He continued: “It’s entirely my responsibility to educate myself and to do better. I want to make it very clear that I absolutely condemn any form of racism or discrimination. What I said doesn’t reflect who I am or what I believe in.
“I’m deeply sorry to the people I may have offended, to The Mongolz players, to my teammates, and to my organization for letting them down at an important moment for the team. I fully accept and respect any decision or sanction the club decides to take.”
The MongolZ responded that ‘no offence was taken’, however, some fans were still sceptical, arguing that the apology didn’t seem sincere. Others said the tweet was a good ‘first step’ but wanted to see his behaviour change in the future, hoping his actions would match his words.
On the other hand, some esports fans encouraged MartinezSa to move on from the controversy. Esports is full of trash talking, which can add flavour to rivalries and competition, but fans felt MartinezSa took it a bit too far.
Gentle Mates, which currently has an all-Spanish lineup, also offered a statement on X. It stated that MartinezSa’s comments were ‘unacceptable’ and noted his behaviour didn’t align with the organisation’s brand.
While the organisation stated that it ‘condemns all racism,’ it didn’t mention any punishment or consequence for MartinezSa’s comments. ESL has also not made any public statements regarding the incident, although it does go against its code of conduct.
