EWC-attending Superfans outline alleged censorship and unequal treatment at Riyadh event

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 27/08/2025

Esports News UK has been in contact with multiple ‘Superfans’ who attended the Esports World Cup Counter-Strike & Apex events. The fans, who received free travel, accommodation and tickets to events through organisations making use of EWC’s Superfan program, revealed several peculiarities of the Riyadh event.

While some of the Superfans relayed an overall positive experience, they were also allegedly subject to censorship, unequal treatment, and lacked reasonable access to water on EWC’s final day of the Counter-Strike 2 event.  

Fan censorship at EWC

Those familiar with esports arena culture will know that signage is an important aspect of fan expression during events. EWC seem to be well aware of that, providing fans with signs to improve the atmosphere at events, but that expression was under tight surveillance at EWC, with guards seemingly taking photos of the signs.

It is unclear whether signage was sent elsewhere to be approved, or whether phones were used to translate signs, as not all security spoke English, according to the Superfans present.

Those with questionable signs were allegedly either asked to move out of the path of cameras, to prevent their sign from showing on broadcast, or had their signs confiscated with a threat of removal from the event if they did not surrender their sign.

One Superfan Esports News UK contacted was spoken to regarding his sign, claiming that the guard stated they can surrender the sign or not, but if they chose not to, they would be kicked out of the arena if it appeared on broadcast.

The sign said “MONGOATS MZINHO KING” with hearts surrounding MONGOATS.

After choosing to keep the sign, the Superfan stepped out between maps to get food, where he was told he was not allowed to return to the arena and had the sign confiscated. No explanation was initially given regarding what was deemed unacceptable about the seemingly innocuous sign. The Superfan was allegedly later informed by one of the more personable guards that the sign was removed for including the word “king.”

Saudi Arabia is currently ruled by the de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has reportedly not held power since 2017.

Following help from the leader of their Superfan group, the fan was permitted back in but not allowed near their own fans before eventually being reintegrated into their group.

Allegedly, after the incident, the fan was conspicuously trailed by security for the remainder of the day, something multiple people noticed. This continued on to the next day. Described to ENUK as an uncomfortable experience, the fan felt intimidated by the attention for what he intended to be a lighthearted sign in support of The MongolZ’s young rifler.

Signage was not the only aspect controlled by security. Any expression that could be picked up by the crowd microphones was allegedly closely monitored by the guards, including fans’ chanting.

During the Mouz and Falcons quarter-final contest, one Superfan alleged that Mouz fans began a chant parodying the amount of money the Falcons had paid for their roster. While such chants are typical in Counter-Strike’s culture as lighthearted banter, that chant seemingly fell afoul of the event’s nebulous ‘toxicity’ rule, which forbade toxic behaviour towards players or other fans. Guards allegedly quickly warned the Mouz fans to stop the chant.

Fans were also allegedly told to be quiet by staff following the eruption of fans chanting “Chopper was right,” a reference to Team Spirit’s IGL, who posted a now-deleted video on social media in which he showed the arena stating: “Here’s the arena, about 300 paid workers will scream ‘Falcons, Falcons.’”

Uneven treatment

A common theme of Superfans talked to was that Team Falcons fans faced potentially preferential treatment, with security seemingly more relaxed around the Falcons’ contingent.

Team Falcons’ financial backers are not officially disclosed, but it is widely reported as being funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Falcons are then understood to have close ties to the Esports World Cup Foundation, itself funded by the PIF and established by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The close ties between the two organisations have led to social media speculation that crowd microphones were increased to make Falcons’ fans seem louder, and seats were arranged so that Falcons’ fans would get maximum broadcast exposure.

Esports News UK received information from Superfan attendees of the Apex tournament who allegedly faced constant questioning of their credentials to sit at all-access seats. Superfans were meant to be seated in a section with their fellow organisational fans.

Despite that, the Apex tournament allegedly saw Superfans constantly being moved for various reasons, including to make the venue look more filled or to accommodate Falcons fans getting priority in sections that were more prominent on camera.

Security also seemed to unevenly treat those with Superfan wristbands, with some guards accepting the credentials meant all-access and others moving those Superfans to the general admission sections, dispersing the Superfan group.

Sources allege that Falcons fans often took those all-access seats when Superfans were moved, leaving Superfans further from the team they were supporting.

At the Counter-Strike event, much later in the event’s schedule, Superfans did not face the same issue and were allowed to gather in their sections with the understanding that a large portion of the arena was dedicated to Falcons fans.

Attending Superfans, however, did outline differences in the treatment of Falcons fans and others. Specifically, Superfans were instructed not to bang drums during gameplay, something that Falcons’ fan coordinators actively participated in throughout the event.

One Superfan stated that they were advised not to bring metal flag poles, with a strong implication existing that flag poles in general were not acceptable. Falcons’ contingent flew several flags with poles during the event, though it is unclear whether they broke rules, as other teams did not bring poled flags to test if they would be confiscated.

Potentially the most controversial moment of the tournament came as Aurora were allegedly targeted with laser pointers and flashlights, with Aurora owner Valerii ‘L3rich’ Kharitonov seemingly protesting the inaction of guards in the arena in videos that spread through social media.

Aurora player Samet ‘jottAAA’ Köklü was later quoted by CS2News as saying the team was targeted by phone flashlights, but eye-witnesses have stated that light batons, provided by the event, were used maliciously to distract Aurora’s players. Esports News UK was given a video of the lights, displaying their brightness. The lights look similar to glow sticks, but have an internal light which is then defused.

However, by removing a black sticker on top of the light, the light source is revealed as an extremely bright, pointed light source that was then seemingly used against players.

When ENUK asked whether similar conduct by non-Falcons fans would have been tolerated, the event-going fan was unequivocal in their belief that they would have been removed for such conduct, claiming that security had informed L3rich that there was “nothing we can do.”

Sudden rescheduling and dehydration

One unanimously noted issue with EWC’s CS2 event was the constant changes made to the schedule of the event, with matches and times changing with less than 24 hours’ notice.

Changes resulted in the opening matches for several of the flown-out Superfan groups not being in the arena as they were initially seemingly arranged, and fans such as NaVi’s fans arriving after their team had already been eliminated.

Despite frustration at missing the opening match, the fans we talked to were assisted by hotel staff to watch the game from the hotel, and were thankful for that accommodation.

A larger issue emerged during the final Sunday of the EWC, with CS2 being the last event before the closing ceremony. On Saturday evening, the fans were informed that the Third/Fourth place decider would be played in the arena at 10 am local time, rearranged from 1 pm. The Grand Final would then begin at 1 pm, moved from 5 pm local time.

Sunday saw the security significantly increased due to the attendance of Crown Prince, and de facto Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

That morning, the Third/Fourth place decider was once again moved, this time out of the arena, however, fans had already gathered outside on the boulevard to enter the arena.

Fans were eventually allowed to enter the arena at 12 pm after two hours in the gruelling heat, but the increased airport-style security meant fans queuing outside, and subsequently not being allowed to bring water into the venue, leaving fans without water after facing temperatures between 36°-43° on Sunday morning-afternoon.

Inside the venue, the previous days had seen free water provided to fans. For an unknown reason, that water was not available on Sunday.

To make matters worse, the change in schedule meant the action began before the majority of shops on Riyadh’s Boulevard City opened, with the majority opening at 4 pm local time.

Fans were faced with the choice of long queues at the two establishments open at the complex or going without water at all.

The inability to secure water was described to Esports News UK as putting people at risk, with one Superfan leaving the venue prior to the Grand Final due to health concerns.

Remaining fans in the arena noticed crates of water bottles at the venue, which security allegedly declined to give the fans, as the water was intended for security.

The denial led to supposed chants of “We want water” from fans, eventually pressuring EWC to provide small bottles for fans. Fans were allegedly then given larger bottles of water, but were given them just a few rounds prior to The MongolZ claiming the EWC CS2 trophy when they were free to leave regardless.

Esports News UK have contacted the Esports World Cup for comment on all issues reported here, but are yet to receive comment.

Some of the Superfans Esports News UK contacted conveyed an overall positive experience at the event, noting staff being helpful with their flights and accommodation, good facilities at the event, and some of the local fans and staff having a true love for esports.

Despite that, accounts relayed to ENUK note security as both being overbearing and potentially unfamiliar with esports and its conventions, leaving the experience inside the arenas as being soured.

The experience left fans unable to enjoy the experience in the way that they normally would at other esports events, leaving one fan describing the experience as feeling inorganic due to the stunted ability of the crowd to express themselves.

There is no doubt of Saudi Arabia’s stranglehold on esports, and the growing importance of the EWC both economically and competitively, with several esports such as Apex Legends moving their Midseason Invitationals, World Championships, etc, to the Riyadh event, but what makes events feel meaningful are their event-going fans.

If EWC truly wants the Esports World Cup to be the event it touts itself to be, it may have to allow esports fans to simply be themselves. Whether increased flexibility is compatible with the Saudi regime may be the deciding factor in whether EWC will ever feel real.

*What is the EWC Superfan program?

EWC’s Superfan program is an incentive program funded by the Esports World Cup Foundation. The program includes flights, hotel accommodation, and tickets to the relevant EWC event for a small group of ‘Superfans’ who attend the EWC under the banner of their organisation.

All partner clubs in the EWCF (Esports World Cup Foundation) Club Partner Program have access to the incentive program, and are free to choose their representatives, with the methodology of selection varying from organisation to organisation, with some organisations favouring giveaways, and some preferring hand-picked community members

The program includes other benefits, such as discounted food at the event and allows Superfans to skip lines at signing sessions.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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