Brazillian LoL team Redemption allegedly refuses to pay Korean players

Olivia Richman Published 15/05/2020

Two former Redemption eSports Porto Alegre players from Korea have accused their contracted organization in Brazil of not paying them.

Choi “BalKhan” Hyun-jin and Im “Patrick” Jin-heyok both tweeted yesterday that they’ve been waiting for payments from Redemption for over two months. Instead of working out a solution, the organization is allegedly ignoring the players’ attempts at reaching out. Due to this unfortunate situation, which mirrors what happened to BalKhan previously with Galatasary Esports last year, BalKhan has retired from professional League of Legends.

“I can’t trust anyone anymore. I won’t be a professional gamer anymore,” BalKhan tweeted on an abandoned Twitter profile.

RDP does not pay.
And I won’t be a professional anymore.

They ignored my contact.
We said we were different from the previous team, but they were the same. I can’t trust anyone anymore and I won’t be a professional gamer anymore.
— BalKhan(hyun jin choi) (@gXCzJC7yh4T1RSd) May 14, 2020

BalKhan then warned his followers to not let a similar situation happen to them. He stated that the same thing happening two years in a row has made it hard for him to compete and thus “unable to concentrate.”

BalKhan left Redemption in April 22 due to health and travel concerns, leaving to be with his family in South Korea. He apologized for bringing up his financial problems and wished for everyone to be happy and “feel better.”

Patrick, who appears to still be a part of the organization, responded with a tweet of his own, stating that they tried to be understandable and considerate. But now he can’t wait anymore.

Redemption responds to players’ unpaid claims

After Patrick and BalKhan came forward, Redemption’s founder, Angelo Tellechea, responded with a statement of his own.

Tudo se resolvendo. Desentendimento interno que eu só tomei conhecimento agora e estou dando a urgência necessária para solucionar tudo no período mais curto possível. Nada além de apreço pelos jogadores, erro grave da nossa parte e eles estão corretos de exigir os direitos
— Angelo Tellechea (@Hyrule13) May 15, 2020

According to a translation, Tellechea explained that there had been an “internal disagreement,” but that the players had the right to demand payment.

“I am giving the necessary urgency to resolve everything in the shortest possible time. Nothing but appreciation for the players. A serious mistake on our part and they are correct to demand the [payments],” Tellechea said.

Patrick and BalKhan both joined Redemption in December of 2019. Redemption finished eighth in the CBLOL Spring Split this year, their worst performance to date. They finished in third place in 2019.

Galatasaray has been accused multiple times of not paying their players’ salaries. The most recent time was last December, when Lee “GBM” Chang-seok came forward with claims that he hadn’t been paid for the last three months. Since then, Galatasaray has been kicked out of the TCL as a result.

Smaller organizations in smaller League of Legends competitions have long been accused of similar behavior. LJL organization Pentagram was accused by former players of confiscating their passports so that players would get arrested if they spoke out against the team. Incidents like these have the League of Legends community hoping that Riot Games will start focusing on corruption in their various leagues and competitions around the world.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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