Cameras caught Antonio “MartinezSa” Martinez making racist comments toward The MongolZ during an ESL Pro League Season 22 match on October 7.
MartinezSa, who’s currently playing for Gentle Mates, called The MongolZ “Jackie Chan” during Mirage. The backlash was immediate, as one of the cameras in ESL Pro League caught MartinezSa shouting to The MongolZ loud and clear.
The MongolZ, as the organization’s name indicates, is a full-Mongolian team. Meanwhile, Jackie Chan is the famous martial artist and actor from Hong Kong. What MartinezSa did is a common racial stereotyping that suggests that all Asians look the same.
MartinezSa found himself under intense backlash after the clip went viral, and he took to X to apologize to The MongolZ.
Gentle Mates found themselves in their first controversy since entering CS2 esports in August, all because of MartinezSa. Credit: © StarLadder
Less than two hours after The MongolZ eliminated Gentle Mates from ESL Pro League Season 22 and the racist incident had happened, the Spanish AWPer released a personal statement on X, in which he expressed regret.
I want to sincerely apologize for the words I said during our recent match against The MongolZ. What I said was completely inappropriate, and I now understand how disrespectful and hurtful it can be.
Coming from a different culture, I haven’t always had the right awareness or reflexes when it comes to certain words or references, but that’s not an excuse. It’s entirely my responsibility to educate myself and to do better.
I want to make it very clear that I absolutely condemn any form of racism or discrimination. What I said doesn’t reflect who I am or what I believe in. I’m deeply sorry to the people I may have offended, to The Mongolz players, to my teammates, and to my organization for letting them down at an important moment for the team.
I fully accept and respect any decision or sanction the club decides to take. I’ll take this as a moment to learn, to reflect, and to make sure something like this never happens again.
Shortly after, The MongolZ replied to MartinezSa on X.
“No offense taken,” The MongolZ said.
Gentle Mates, a French organization that entered CS2 esports in August with a Spanish lineup consisting of MartinezSa, David “dav1g” Granado, Pere “sausol” Solsona, Alejandro “mopoz” Fernández, and Alejandro “alex” Masanet, said in an official statement that it will fine MartinezSa.
The statements made by Martinez during our match against The Mongolz are unacceptable. No circumstances justify such words.
This behavior doesn’t align with what Gentle Mates represents or what we want in esports. The player acknowledged the gravity, apologized, and accepts the club’s sanctions.
We apologize to The Mongolz players, their community, and all affected by this incident. Gentle Mates condemns all racism, discrimination, or stereotypes.
We expect respect and exemplarity from our players on and off the server. This doesn’t reflect our values; it reminds us to defend them daily with rigor and responsibility.
It’s currently unclear whether ESL will fine Gentle Mates for MartinezSa’s comment. But, by doing so, he breached the Code of Conduct in ESL Pro Tour’s rulebook.
Feature image credit: © StarLadder
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