Movistar Riders drop Valorant pro for cheating in an official match

Spanish esports organization Movistar Riders have released Rui ‘rapaztriste’ Fonseca from their professional Valorant roster for using cheats during an LVP Rising Series qualifier. 

Professional Valorant is very much still finding its feet, with a plethora of new talents joining ex-CS:GO pros in the esports world of Riot’s new FPS. 

Movistar Riders are not necessarily a household name in Valorant, yet, but are one of the many esports organizations that have joined the game’s competitive landscape. 

However, their time in Valorant esports has now been marred by a cheating controversy, which has seen them part ways with one member of their roster. 

A January 17 statement from Movistar confirmed that Rui ‘rapaztriste’ Fonseca has been released with immediate effect, after being found to be using cheats in a January 16 match. 

The statement explains that, following on from a game in the LVP Rising Series, a number of the team’s players informed their manager of suspicious behavior and gameplay on the part of rapaztriste. 

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Subsequently, an investigation was launched with the help of LVP and Riot Games, and Fonseca was found to be “using resources not allowed within the game to gain a competitive advantage.” In other words, using illegal cheats. 

“As a response from the club, the player is no longer part of Movistar Riders,” the statement finishes. “From here, we want to apologize to LVP and Riot for what happened and thank them for their speed and their availability to find a solution to the problem. Of course, we also want to extend our sincere apologies to all Valorant fans and tournament participants.” 

Fans were, quite understandably, frustrated with the player’s behavior, but glad to see the swift action taken by his organization. 

The remainder of the roster remains unchanged: 

• Carlos ‘scarx’ Sanchez
• Maks ‘kamyk’ Rychlewski
• Mihály ‘Tishler’ Kállai
• Michael ‘mikigoalie’ Buzek

It’s currently unclear who Movistar will look to sign to fill the vacant position left by rapaztristre.