If you were looking for an absolute masterclass in “how to instantly torch your own professional career,” look no further than Swiss VALORANT player Blendi “KovaQ” Kovaci. FunPlus Phoenix officially terminated his contract following an internal investigation into an in-game message he sent to a teammate that featured anti-Asian racial slurs.
Signing with an elite Chinese organization like FPX is basically hitting the jackpot in VCT CN. You get a massive platform, top-tier facilities, and a dedicated fanbase that turns out in droves. Throwing all of that away because you could not resist sending a derogatory slur in a private message is a level of self-sabotage that leaves the community utterly baffled.
The Fastest Speedrun to a Contract Termination
The situation unfolded with lightning speed. During an in-game interaction caught on a teammate’s broadcast stream, KovaQ sent a whisper containing a racial slur aimed at Chinese people.
FPX did not hesitate for a second. The organization immediately suspended him from training, froze his match participation, cut off his salary, and launched an investigation. Within hours, FPX posted an official announcement on Weibo confirming that they were severing all ties and terminating his contract effective immediately.
Following his abrupt exit, KovaQ took to X to release an official apology statement:
“Hello everyone, I wanted to apologize for what I wrote. I sent something to my teammate that was inappropriate towards a lot of people. In that moment I meant it as a joke, but looking back at it, I deeply regret ever writing it.
I understand why people are angry and I know that what I said was wrong. There’s really no excuse for it and I take full responsibility for what I wrote.
I’m sorry to everyone I hurt or offended, and I also want to apologize to my teammates, the organization, and everyone around me who was affected by this.
I made a mistake that I shouldn’t have made, and I take full responsibility for it. Thanks to FPX for the opportunity to be part of this project and for everything you’ve done for me.
I’ll be taking some time away from social media to reflect and reset. Please don’t send any hate or anger toward my teammates or FPX. They don’t deserve any of it. If you feel like you need to direct that frustration at someone, direct it at me instead.”
As anyone who follows the Tier 1 scene knows, claiming something was “meant as a joke” does not hold much weight when you insult the exact culture, organization, and fans funding your paycheck.
The reaction across VLR.gg and Reddit has been a mixture of sheer disbelief and complete disgust. Fans are struggling to wrap their heads around how an import player living and competing in China could act with such blatant disrespect toward the people around him.
The consensus across the scene is crystal clear:
- Mocking the host nation: “Mocking Chinese people as an import to a Chinese team… just when I thought this guy couldn’t get any worse.”
- Baffled by his career move: “What a complete f***ing idiot, VCTCN gave you a job and the chance to keep competing, and this is how you repay FPX and VCTCN?”
- Fumbling the opportunity: “I can’t imagine in which other regions he could receive the same preferential treatment and popularity as he did in China. But this guy doesn’t appreciate it at all, even making racist remarks to his teammates.”
- Peak brain-off behavior: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you… He was racist toward the exact people that employed him.”
The End of the Line for VCT CN Imports?
Chinese esports organizations have always maintained a zero-tolerance policy for behavioral misconduct, and FPX set an immediate boundary here. For KovaQ, this blunder effectively closes the door on his VCT CN career and leaves a massive stain on his professional resume globally.
As FPX searches for a new in-game leader to patch up their roster for upcoming matches, the rest of the pro scene gets a very expensive reminder: respect the region you play in, keep your chat clean, and leave the slurs off the screen.
