Dota 2 pro Maybe punished for racially charged social outburst

gabhernandez Published 11/07/2019

LGD Gaming has announced sanctions on one of its players who made a racist post on social media.

The Chinese organization offered an apology to Dota 2 fans following an outburst on Weibo from PSG.LGD mid laner Lu “Maybe” Yao. The player then apologized himself in a separate statement released by the team.

“Earlier today I was involved in a quarrel with a follower on Weibo. My emotion then got the best of me and I wrote something extremely inappropriate for a public figure and a professional athlete,” Maybe said. “My behavior has caused severe negative impact, and I would like to sincerely apologize for what I have said: I am sorry.”

Maybe will not receive any sort of competitive suspension for the incident, but LGD Gaming has fined the player 50,000 yuan, approximately $7,300 USD.

The racial remarks from Maybe came from a discussion on Weibo regarding ranked matchmaking in China where the pro promoted All Pick mode for high ranked players rather than the region’s standard, Random Draft.

After Maybe suggested that playing Random Draft’s limited hero pool was keeping Chinese pro teams from reaching their full potential, a netizen disagreed and insulted Maybe’s skills and competitive history. Maybe responded with discriminating language against the other user.

The outburst from Maybe was not well received among Chinese fans, with Chinese website SGAMER running a poll that showed 90.87% were in favor of banning Maybe as a result. While that might be extreme, it shows that Dota fans across the world are growing tired of the racial dust-ups that have mired this Dota season

In 2018, TNC Predator player Carlo “Kuku” Palad and at-the-time CompLexity Gaming carry Rolen Andrei Gabriel “Skemberlu” Ong came under fire for racially insensitive remarks directed at Chinese opponents. Both players were penalized with Skem being fined by CompLexity while Kuku was barred from competing in the Chongqing Major by Valve.

More recently, OG offlaner Sébastien “Ceb” Debs was penalized by his organization when he insulted a Russian teammate during a public match.

Despite the controversy, Maybe will be playing for PSG.LGD in the upcoming The International 2019.

Read Also

Dota 2

Oddin.gg’s head of risk helps explain how alleged match fixing during Dota 2 at EWC was flagged Michael Hassall The Dota 2 competition at The Esports World Cup 2026 was shaken to its core during the Survival Stage earlier in the week when Southeast Asian-backed, South American team PTime (better known as PlayTime) were removed from the event citing “integrity concerns.” While the case is still ongoing, and none of the accused confirmed to be guilty, one of the biggest questions behind the incident was just how these concerns ...

Dota 2

PTime removed from Dota 2 at EWC 26 as ESIC investigates coach and captain Michael Hassall Filipino organization PlayTime Esports has been removed from the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 competition following an intervention by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and a ruling by the Esports Foundation and EWC. Following a postponement of the PTime vs. Vici Gaming Survival Stage matchup on July 14, ESIC announced that it was actively investigating two members of the South American-based PTime organization, Team Captain Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera and ...

Esports Betting

Here’s the complete Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 schedule Hannan Mundia The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 has finally arrived, and here’s the complete schedule for the event to ensure you don’t miss anything. While it isn’t exactly the newest name in the esports scene, the EWC has quickly become a leading event for esports fans worldwide. It brings together professional players and fans from various games, combining them into one long event that everyone can enjoy. 2026’s Esports World Cup ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Michael Hassall A titanic 24 teams are set to compete in Dota 2 at the Esports World Cup 2025 in one of the largest events of the competitive season. These two dozen organizations are set to take over the Paris Convention Center, filling it with top-tier competitive Dota 2 action. With a $2,000,000 USD prize pool, the largest on the Dota 2 calendar, there’s everything to play for in the final major ...

Dota 2

Top Dota 2 combos to boost your MMR fast Wasif Ahmed Dota 2 is a complex and interesting game that requires skill, strategy and teamwork to be successful. Having said that, one of the best ways to improve your MMR is by learning certain Dota 2 combos that have proven themselves over time. It’s worth knowing that there are not that many Dota 2 combos that have survived the test of time because every new patch changes the game’s meta. Nevertheless, ...

Dota 2

Dota 2 temporarily deletes popular hero before launching huge Dark Carnival update Michael Hassall If you were an Axe player in Dota 2 earlier this week, you’d have found yourself out of luck when you tried to pick the stalwart Oglodi warrior, as the hero was straight up removed from the game on June 23. The hero was completely missing from All-Pick and his hero model was replaced with a missing poster. Axe couldn’t even be demoed or picked in a custom game for ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex stop the magic, defeating LGD in BLAST Slam VII finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex have defeated LGD Gaming in the grand finals of BLAST Slam VII in a dramatic 3-1 series that saw both teams pushed to the limit, but ultimately Yandex come out on top. Concluding the last major tournament before teams head to the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 next month and in August, Yandex were able to counter the momentum of LGD that had brought them into ...