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S1mple Faces Backlash Over Controversial Showcase

S1mple’s recent showmatch has stirred up a bit of controversy owing to the current situation between his home country,... Kiboss | 23. October 2024

S1mple’s recent showmatch has stirred up a bit of controversy owing to the current situation between his home country, Ukraine, and Russia. The game that S1mple participated in featured some of his friends from Russia, which left a bad taste in most people’s mouths as both countries are still actively at war, with Ukraine suffering the most casualties of the two.

It’s always best to keep politics out of sports, as it does nothing but breed hate amongst players, fans, and the community at large. In as much as we try to avoid it, it always manages to rear its ugly head at any opportunity, such as in the recent case surrounding Ukranian star S1mple.

It’s no secret that esports, more specifically, counter-strike, is incredibly popular in eastern Europe, with a lot of the greatest professional players hailing from countries like Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania, and Bosnia, just to name a few. This concentration of players within this region, though great for collaboration, has allowed for conflicts among the neighboring countries to pour into the competition in more ways than one.

s1mple CS2 return (1)

img: s1mple CS2 Navi – src: (ESL | [Photographer, Adam Lakomy])

Recently, Ukrainian star S1mple was caught in the middle of a scandal after participating in a showmatch against fellow professional Donk, who hails from Russia. Ukranian fans within the community haven’t shied away from airing out their negative opinions on the situation, citing S1mple’s disregard for the people actively affected by the war as unpatriotic and insensitive.

Critical comments made by creators and enthusiasts in the Ukrainian Counter-Strike community such as Petr1k have been especially scathing.

In a tweet made on his X (formerly Twitter) account, he made the following comments in regards to the situation:

“Simple once again reminded that he lives in a parallel reality.

I’m not surprised.

It’s a pity, because he doesn’t realize that he could help Ukraine a lot.

He could be one of the loudest Ukrainian voices in the world. Next to Usyk, Harlan, Svitolina…

But he ate everything.

Fool

Another media personality on X (formerly Twitter) who goes by yXo had the following to say:

“Didn’t he ask his friends how they felt about the latest murders committed by the Russians?

I saw more than 50 people killed there in Poltava, a whole family in Lviv.

Don’t you know how they feel about war?

Maybe they support the killing of Ukrainians? Ask Sasha.

S1mple on the other end, has decided not to respond to any of the comments and is instead seemingly unbothered by the negativity surrounding the situation. It is quite clear that a lot of the hate he is receiving is unwarranted, as he has made his allegiance public countless times and has consistently shown support for his nation. This specific situation seemed to have been blown out of proportion and should’ve just been viewed as nothing more than a friendly exhibition between two of the best players in the sport.