Will the Russia photo hurt G2?

During the playoffs of the BLAST Premier World Final, G2 Esports made what seemed like a minor mistake, that ended up making big waves. The team took a group picture in the hotel lobby with a fan who appears to have been collecting photos of the players and also taking commemorative pictures with other squads.

The special thing about the photo with G2 was that the fan took out a Russian flag and posed with it. Given the Russian war in Ukraine, Russian flags have been banned from tournaments as they are a direct representation of Russian aggression and support for the country.

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev commented on the photo on Twitter, making it clear that while he has respect for the players, he cannot understand why the team allowed such a photo to be taken.

G2 manager has tried to make it clear that the photo was not supposed to be a glorification of the invasion and that the team had not realized that the fan took out a flag.

The community is divided. Could this story damage G2 permanently?

G2 in the crossfire

On social media, G2 have been attacked by many members of the community. The incident has infuriated many fans who see posing with the Russian flag as a political statement. Meanwhile, others felt that the players themselves didn’t have to do anything with the flag and that the situation shouldn’t be exaggerated. 

Team manager defends players

The manager of the organization protected the players and protested their innocence. They allegedly had no idea the fan was planning to hold the flag up until it was too late. When Stepan Shulga pointed out this incident, the manager G2 Peca said: “Stepan, my friend, I agree with you 100%. Players were unaware of the flag, and the picture was taken before they realized it. We do not support acts of aggression or belligerence and we hope that everyone will see this as a mistake and not let it take away from the great game we had. Head of esports for G2 Julius “Mayne” Ylänne confirmed the narrative.

Although G2’s intentions were likely pure and the whole situation was rather about a common origin with m0NESY than supporting the war, it’s a sensitive topic and we can’t blame s1mple and others for their disagreement with displaying the flag. At the same time, there’s no need for spreading hate either.

Whether the situation will damage G2’s reputation is yet to bee seen, but we’ve seen them recover from scandals in the past.

Photo credit: twitter.com/iv1steri