Kukutweets that he is on his way to Shanghai, ChinaValvehasn’t confirmed whether the player will playTheInternational 2019 starts on August 15
TNC Predator’s Kuku is on his way to Shanghai for the TI9, Dota 2’s largest tournament wit lodi777 h a prize pool of over $32.5 million. Is he there to watch or play?
TNCPredator’s Kuku on His Way to Shanghai
TNC Predator’s controversial player Carlo “Kuku” Palad will be heading to The International 2019 (TI9) in Shanghai, China, the player hinted at social media. Kuku attracted negative attention after he stirred up a controversy and pitted Chinese and Filipino communities against each other over ill-considered and unnecessary racial slurs directed at fellow players.
Kuku from ESL Mumbai.
As a result, Chongqing authorities, the city hosting one of the Major events, issued a statement in which they said that they couldn’t guarantee Kuku’s safety, which riled the Dota 2 community. Despite the firm language used by Chongqing authorities, the city was right to take measures, especially given the circumstances.
WhileKuku tried to deny the incident – which involved him writing “chingchong” in a league game to mock his Chinese opponents – it latertranspired that TNC Predator’s manager, PauloSy, had tried to cover up thetransgression, which completely destroyed their credibility.
Althoughthere has been no official response from Valve or Shanghaiauthorities for that matter, whether Kuku will actually play, it’sunlikely that he is there to just watch the event.
✈️ shanghai ti9!
— Kuku Palad (@kukudota) August 12, 2019
Valve Needs to Learn Negotiatin Tactics
Valve could have done a better job at handling the original incident, but the company proved ineffective in negotiating a solution. The controversy haunted Kuku during The World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) which were against hosted in Chongqing.
While Valve said that Kuku wasn’t banned from attending, the city’s authorities published an official statement in which they said that Kuku would not be allowed to enter the city. WESG hosts tried to contain the situation by placing inquiries with the Chongqing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security, confirming that Kuku had been banned.
We are passing 322 #TI9 pic.twitter.com/rhJw7FEvgg
— Toby Dawson (@TobiWanDOTA) August 9, 2019
Eyes on the prize.
Kuku’sreturn to the TI9, even though not completely certain at the time ofreporting, will certainly signify a much better chance for TNCPredator at securing a more important place in the overall standing.
Power Ranking at a Glance
TNCPredator is one of the teams that has the potential to upset thecompetition and overcome the majority of teams. Presently, the teamsthat seem to have the best chances of securing TI9 and with it thelion’s share of the price include TeamSecret,Vici Gaming,Team Liquid,Virtus Pro,and Evil Geniuses.
Predatorwill also face a lot of Chinese competition on home turf, which couldpotentially make it more difficult for the team to break through tothe later stages of the event. Hopes are that if Kuku is allowed toplay, he will hold himself with more grace.
