BLAST apologize to Counter-Strike pro for taking middle finger gesture “out-of-context”

by

BLAST has expressed their apologies to Shahar ‘flameZ’ Shushan of Team Vitality, in response to a controversial event during BLAST Bounty Season 1. The organizers faced backlash due to allegations that they portrayed his actions in an unfair or misleading manner.

During a game against Eternal Fire, the professional Counter-Strike player appeared to make an offensive hand gesture, but it was later explained by the tournament organizer that this gesture was not intended towards Eternal Fire’s team members.

BLAST acknowledged their mistake in portraying flameZ’s actions and felt remorse that the revision triggered a wave of abusive comments towards the player online.

BLAST’s full response

Yesterday, during a match featuring the Vitality player known as flameZ, an inappropriate gesture was captured on video. BLAST, the organization in question, addressed this matter through a statement on Twitter on January 25th.

In the conversation that took place off-screen between the player and the camerapeople prior to the game, something inappropriate was unintentionally broadcasted. It’s important to note that this gesture wasn’t directed towards any opposing player or competitor.

I’m truly sorry for the wave of harmful messages the player has received online as a result of this situation. I want to express my heartfelt apologies for any negative impact this has had, and I firmly stand against any form of abuse directed towards players.

Yesterday, during a live stream, a Vitality player named flameZ made an inappropriate gesture that was accidentally broadcasted. This incident happened off-camera in an informal exchange with the production team, and it shouldn’t have been shown to viewers.

— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) January 25, 2025

What happened?

In the initial stage of Anubis, with Vitality lagging 0-4, the Israeli sniper, flameZ, was given his team’s only rifle for the upcoming round. FlameZ then managed a remarkable triple kill in that round, a crucial achievement as Vitality eventually won their first round, setting the stage for a comeback.

After a break, Eternal Fire requested a pause between the matches. Meanwhile, BLAST’s broadcast switched to replays of the current round, and later showed footage of flameZ making an offensive gesture.

Following the game, flameZ shared a message on Twitter explaining that his gesture wasn’t intended for Vitality’s opponents. He clarified, “I was just kidding around with the camera crew. I pointed the middle finger at them. Blast caught it from an unusual angle and posted it.

1. To @eternalfiregg, we’re battling not for the debut match we desired.

2. Just to make things clear, my pointing towards the camera earlier was all in good fun, I was joking with the cameraman. Blast captured it from a different angle and shared it online. 😄

3. Respect is all I have for… (The rest remains the same)

— Shahar Shushan (@flameZcsgo) January 24, 2025

Venaxie, the photographer, subsequently disclosed that the video was taken “prior to the match’s commencement,” implying that it wasn’t caused by any in-game server activity.

In other words, I’m indeed the person he was giving the middle finger to, hence his statement holds validity. Notably, he performed this gesture well before the game commenced.

— Steph 📸 (@Vexanie) January 24, 2025

Regarding this matter, the Editor-in-Chief of HLTV, Milan ‘Striker’ Švejda, expressed his viewpoint by saying, “It’s quite harsh for BLAST to perform a mid-map roll during pre-game, as it’s not intended for the opposing team.

It’s quite harsh to casually execute a BLAST move during the game if it isn’t intended against the opposing team, especially before the match starts.

— Milan Švejda (@StrikerHLTVorg) January 24, 2025

In reaction to the criticism about the circumstances, BLAST published the statement you see now, and so far, flameZ hasn’t issued another reply.

Read More

2025-01-26 02:21