Riot Games apologises to Karmine Corp and kyeahoo after an inappropriate chat message was shown during the game

’s dominant victory this Sunday was somewhat overshadowed by a production error from the LEC broadcast that angered many fans. Returning to competition after two weeks without playing, KC were contesting their second match of the LEC Spring Split. By defeating 2–0 with two games lasting under 24 minutes, the LEC Versus finalists wasted little time asserting their superiority.

However, a message highlighted during the second game dampened the celebrations for the French organization. Among the YouTube comments occasionally displayed on screen during the broadcast, one in particular likely should not have been selected. The message read “NETENKYEAHOO!!” and appeared after an impressive play by Karmine Corp midlaner .

The wording referenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is since November 2024 the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The decision to showcase the pun was poorly received by Karmine Corp fans, many of whom considered the message entirely inappropriate and out of place in the context of an official match. The organization’s CEO, Kamel “Kameto” Kebir, who was watching the game live on stream, reacted with visible disbelief upon seeing it. “Is the person selecting the messages completely unaware or what?” he asked in surprise. “I’m trying to understand how a mistake like this is even possible. We’re in a professional league; a minimum level of professionalism is required.”

In response to the backlash, the league issued an apology on social media, stating that it had “taken the appropriate steps to ensure this won’t happen again.” The match’s casters, Robert “Dagda” Price and Aaron “Medic” Chamberlain, also reacted by condemning the message, clarifying that they were not responsible for the comments selected for display and that the message did not in any way reflect their views.