MIBR have announced the dismissal of their academy team's captain, Vitor "stormzyn" Ferreira, after he was embroiled in controversy over his in-game interaction in a Thunderpick World Championship South America Series 2 match against METANOIA Wolves.
The organization's post did not specifically name the player or the infraction, only saying the decision "was made after an internal evaluation regarding the player's behavior during a match."
"The measure reinforces the club's commitment to the values and conduct that guide all its representatives, both inside and outside of competitions," the statement further read.
It is, however, clear from stormzyn's response that the following moment, in which the player interacted with a doll, was the behavior in question:
The 22-year-old has taken to X to defend himself in a lengthy post, saying he made the "unfortunate" move in celebration of his preceding ace, and that he would have done the same if there was a dead body in the doll's place, or another form of celebration.
"I'd have done anything that came to mind simply because I was happy and celebrating," he said. "I don't have any thoughts related to that disgusting stuff; I hate pedophiles more than anything in this world. I stand against any kind of violence and prejudice without a second thought."
"I was really upset by the backlash and by a lot of people saying things about me that aren't true," he went on. "My sincere apologies to MIBR. I never imagined ending the cycle this way."
METANOIA Wolves
Enio 'Thuister' de Souza
Davi 'ntx' Oliveira
Henzo 'spinnie' Macri
Micael 'ALENNNCAR' Alencar
Mikhael 'vzn' Annoni
Gaston 'tato' Barboza
Vitor 'stormzyn' Ferreira
MIBR
Linus 'LNZ' Holtäng
Lucas 'nqz' Soares
Breno 'brnz4n' Poletto
Felipe 'insani' Yuji
Carlos 'venomzera' Eduardo
Nestor 'LETN1' Tanić