Brazillian pro xand suspended during a tournament for racial comment

Brazilian Valorant professional Alexandre “xand” Zizi was suspended mid-tournament when a video of him uttering a racial slur surfaced online, endangering his future and chances of getting hired by a team before the 2024 VCT season.

After an old racist video surfaced online, Brazilian player Alexandre “xand” Zizi was suspended from regional competition. Xand, who made the jump from CS:GO to Valorant in 2020, is a well-known personality in the Brazilian Valorant scene, representing regional powerhouses like FURIA Esports, Ninja in Pyjamas, KRÜ Esports, and 00 Nation.

e esse aq bidao? pic.twitter.com/NOaN5Ux7OG

— ribeiro (@Ribeiropedr0) October 18, 2023

 

He finally moved to 00 Nation in the Brazilian Challengers League after being benched at the start of the 2023 season in KRÜ Esports. However, when the 28-year-old player’s team, 00Nation, was disbanded in August, things really started to go south. The Brazilian athlete went to a lot of tryouts in hopes of joining, but what really had people excited was that he was attending trials for joining the 2022 VCT Champions LOUD during the current VCT off-season.

Despite the collapse of the deal with LOUD, he remained a top free agent, attending several trials and competing as a stand-in in tournaments. Most recently, Xand was representing The Union in the Multiplatform Esports Game 2023 when a video of him hurling racist remarks became viral on Twitter. The tournament organizers moved quickly once the video resurfaced banning Xand from competing in the event and from participating in any other editions going forward.

The video threatening Valorant Pro’s prospect for VCT 2024

The video in question, according to xand, is from his early days as a professional CS:GO player in Brazil. He made the racial statement in Portuguese during an ESEA tournament, which translates to “fucking n-word” and is unacceptable according to community standards.

A MEG decidiu vetar de eu jogar o campeonato, e com toda razão. E mesmo que me doa muito, não quero prejudicar os mlq.

Todo mundo viu que isso nunca se repetiu, não sou essa pessoa mais e vou provar isso pra vocês 1/2

— xand (@xandfps) October 18, 2023

 

In response, the Brazilian professional turned to social media, saying that MEG 2023 was a solid chance for him to persuade any VCT clubs to back him for the 2024 campaign. Now that he’s been barred from the competition, the Brazilian footballer knows his professional career may not last. The athlete posted an apology on social media, saying, “I don’t know what my future holds, but I just want to apologize for hurting you.”

It’s unclear how the old video will affect his chances of being a member of the squad in the future. However, given the current state of the off-season and the fact that the majority of the Brazilian and LATAM lineups have already been set, Xand may once more be left out of the VCT Americas.

Header: Colin Young-Wolff/ Riot Games