C9 EMENES apologizes for xenophobic comments to streamer before LoL Worlds

Cloud9 mid laner Jang ‘EMENES’ Min-soo has issued a public apology for xenophobic remarks he directed at a streamer during a recent solo queue game.

The South Korean player found himself in hot water for comments he made aimed at Spear_shot during a solo queue match. On X/Twitter, the streamer shared chat logs that showed EMENES calling him a “disgusting eu streamer” and telling him to “go to your country plz”.

EMENES’ comments sparked mixed reactions from the League of Legends community, with some, like Nick ‘LS’ De Cesare, calling him out and others playing down the situation.

The Cloud9 player responded to the criticism by admitting he went too far with his remarks, though he made it clear that he had no intention of apologizing to “people, including that streamer, who maliciously break basic rules for viewer interest.”

As the issue grew in the community, Cloud9 issued a statement announcing that they were aware of the situation and would be “addressing the matter internally.”

Cloud9 EMENES issues apology for xenophobic remarks

On September 19, five days after the incident became public, EMENES issued a statement on X/Twitter apologizing for his “inappropriate remarks”.

Hello, I'm EMENES, professional gamer from Cloud9. I would like to deeply apologize to the fans for making inappropriate remarks in a solo rank game around September 14. My actions were inexcusable, and I recognize the impact my words have in-game.
(1 of 2)

— C9 EMENES (@EMENESlol) September 19, 2023

“My actions were inexcusable, and I recognize the impact my words have in-game,” EMENES wrote.

“I would like to publicly apologize to Spear_shot as well. We spoke in private, but he deserves to hear it here as well. As a player for an American team, I showed an irresponsible image that was unprofessional.

“Learning from this incident. So, I will take more responsibility for my words and actions and show you a more developed appearance.”

EMENES has been on Cloud9’s books since November 2022, initially playing for the organization’s academy team before being promoted to the main squad in February.

The controversy comes just weeks before Cloud9 are slated to compete at Worlds 2023. This will be EMENES’ second international event after playing at MSI 2023, where Cloud9 finished 5th–6th.