sonneiko statement
AkI want to clarify what really happened. I was inactive for half a year and came back about three months ago. I guess things might have changed a lot in DotA since then.
When I play public matches, around 70% of players are muted — I’m sure you can guess why. Ammar was on my friend list, so I could see his messages, and during one game, he called me “braindead.” That got to me, so I messaged him on Twitter and said I’d teach him some manners when we meet. I was speaking emotionally, I admit I was harsh, and I apologize for the tone and wording. But I didn’t threaten him physically, and I’m sharing screenshots here to show what was actually said.
At the hotel, I saw Ammar with his team. We’re both Muslims, and it was important for me to talk to him face-to-face, as our faith has certain standards of respect and morals we should follow. I approached him with a smile and a friendly vibe, put my arm around his shoulder, hoping he’d take it in the same friendly way, and asked him, “Do you remember why we even had this conflict in the first place? Do you remember what you called me?” His response stunned me: “Yeah, I remember. You’re braindead.”
I was honestly surprised. I thought he might explain himself or apologize. What shocked me even more was how quickly his teammates jumped in to back him up, just feeling his negative energy, without even trying to understand what was going on. Skiter was the most vocal, so I asked him to give me a moment to talk to Ammar. I suggested we step aside and talk privately, away from everyone, so we could clear things up calmly. Maybe that was seen as an invitation to fight, but my goal was just to talk.
In response, Ammar started yelling, “Punch me, go on, punch me right here,” while Skitter called me a “bitch” and kept pushing for a fight. The conflict escalated very quickly, and my team stepped in to pull me away, which was for the best.
All that happened was a friendly gesture that got misunderstood. I only put my hand on his shoulder, and that was it. I had no interest in escalating things further. My guys stepped in at the right time to prevent things from getting out of hand.
Later, I managed to have a quick chat with the Falcons manager — a reasonable and professional guy who seemed to want to resolve the issue as much as I did. After the game, I wanted to talk to him again and explain things, but my organization advised against any contact with Falcons. I followed that advice, thinking we could discuss everything in detail afterward. But that didn’t happen.
Then the Falcons team reported to the admins that I supposedly threatened Ammar with physical violence, which wasn’t true. I’m sure PGL has security footage that shows there were no threats — no words, no aggressive gestures. The only physical contact was my hand on his shoulder. If that was seen as aggression, I apologize — my real intentions are described above. We got penalized — a -110 second draft time, and an admin asked us to ignore them to avoid escalating the situation further.
Before the game against Falcons, by some VERY strange coincidence, I ran into Skitter in the bathroom while I was washing my hands. I heard some mumbling and didn’t even realize at first that he was talking to me. I figured out he was still throwing insults, so I just asked him to follow me and went back to our team room. Skitter followed, and we met a PGL rep. I showed him that I wasn’t the one breaking the agreement to ignore each other — it was Skitter. In response, Skitter started cursing at the PGL rep and even insulted my teammate Smiling Knight.
I have to ask: where is the line? When did it become normal for players to say whatever they want about their opponents without consequences? Why is toxic behavior so widely accepted, even at major tournaments? Why do some players get penalized for their actions while others don’t? If we’re really aiming for fair play and respect at tournaments, rules should apply to everyone equally.
Honestly – this whole thing feels blown way out of proportion. I’m sure if Ammar and I had just talked one-on-one, we could have resolved everything in a few minutes and moved on with respect. I approached him with the best intentions, but things played out as they did. Next time, if it comes up, I’ll go through team managers — it’ll keep everyone calmer that way.
I’m genuinely surprised that an organization from a country where people’s rights are protected under Sharia law would ignore or even condone inappropriate behavior from their player, the only Muslim on the team. Personally, I don’t think this sets a good example. Maybe it’s time we rethink how we treat each other in esports and what that says about us as professionals.
In 2022, the day before our bootcamp, I had an argument with Smiling Knight, and some things were said that weren’t exactly nice. I asked him why he acted that way, and he gave me a reasonable and sensible answer — it was all just emotions, and he didn’t actually mean to offend me. The conflict was resolved instantly.
It’s a shame we were penalized and didn’t get to play on equal terms, but I don’t blame the PGL admins — they did their job and made a fair decision, and I appreciate them for that. I hope we get another shot at Falcons, where we’ll have full draft time and can play a fair game of Dota. Let’s see who’s really stronger.