NLC Champions Lionscreed caught in financial controversies following public call-outs

With a history plagued by multiple past controversies, Lionscreed has unfortunately found itself in the crossfire of public financial allegations specifically related to its Spring Season League of Legends roster. As the situation continues to unfold, sources and public figures have now revealed that the organization is allegedly several thousands of Euros in debt and late on payments. Despite these claims, information shared with Sheep Esports indicates that the situation involving both parties seems much more complex than initially discussed publicly.

First revealed on X.com by former Zero Tenacity coach Kim "Eunko" Eun-seok, the situation has gradually risen in intensity over the last few weeks, with no official comments from the organization on the matter. Upon reaching out to members close to the organization, Sheep Esports received clarification that allegedly, while Lionscreed had run late on the majority of its payments, most contractual obligations up to and including the month of April had now been paid out, in large part due to a substantial monetary contribution from the team's manager Robin "Robinho" Cheng, as shown to Sheep Esports through payment receipts.

Still, several key points remain necessary to clarify. Per sources, while most members operated with simple salaries, some of which still have not been fully paid out, a few particular members were confirmed to have agreed to terms that allowed Lionscreed to pay them later in the year. Despite the assurance that said contractual needs had been respected, Sheep Esports have reasons to believe that the team still currently owes upwards of five figures to various entities, notably the facilities that were used to host and accommodate their South Korean imported players Kim "Yohan" Yo-han and Kang "Tempt" Myung-gu.

As confirmed in another report, Yohan has now joined NASR Esports in the TCL, while Tempt has returned to his home and is now taking a competitive break after having refused an offer to join Gentle Mates in the LFL, due to the distraught caused by the incidents. During their time in Europe, while the two players have fought tooth and nail to succeed within Lionscreed, sources indicate that their accommodation was less than satisfactory and the players ran into several issues. Per information shared with Sheep Esports, the two were made to pay for all their own living expenses, which were initially included in their delayed salaries.

Throughout this ordeal, players and staff members alike were heavily affected by the situation. Per sources, as the team members did not receive their payments, motivation within the roster was heavily impacted as early as mid-February. Further information revealed that, despite still eventually winning the NLC, the team suffered from certain of its members no longer showing up to practices and not playing the game outside of team-mandated hours.

Additional issues later arose closer to the EMEA Masters. As shared with Sheep Esports, the team considered playing without the branding of Lionscreed, as some members had suffered delays in their monthly salaries. Per sources, it was around April that manager Robinho helped pay out several team members out of his own pocket to keep the team whole for the remainder of the season. The team then effectively competed at the EMEA Masters with little to no practice, explaining their 1 - 5 result in the group stage.

As the Spring Season concluded, the team soon parted ways with most of its members, while only retaining AD Carry Ronan James "jinjo" Swingler and support Raymond "Kasing" Tsang. Soon enough, Lionscreed went back to the drawing board, exploring multiple off-season prospects, while even attempting to bring back former members and explore other South Korean imported options. Sources indicate that the team has now been in discussion for the past two weeks with top laner Soner "StarScreen" Kaya, EMEA Masters runner-up jungler Osman "Osman123" Meriç Çince, and mid laner Linus "Kanin" Grönlund.

As of yet, the parties have not quite reached an agreement and will only join force if Lionscreed is successfully able to clear up its name. Lionscreed also initially had a verbal agreement with James "Torok" Thomsen, who was supposed to join as the team's head coach. At this time, while the organization remains undecided, received information seem to indicate that the team is keen on breaking said agreement as it currently looks to strike a deal with Melih "TheQep" Akgün instead. Negotiations are still ongoing with all parties and pending clarifications around the organization's future.

In other news, disclosed through a now infamous series of screenshots, aforementioned Korean personality Eunko revealed on June 2nd further information following the aftermath of his initial posts. With tensions rising within Lionscreed, negotiations soon took a turn for the worst, with the damning evidence revealing an attempt by CEO Abdiqani H. Ahmed and manager Robinho to deal with the allegations. In the images, the manager is seen speaking on behalf of the team's leadership with hopes that Eunko would not only delete his posts but also issue a clarification that would stipulate that part of his previous statements were not fair to the organization.

Still rapidly evolving, the situation continues to build up, and sources indicate that the NLC and Riot Games are currently evaluating options to decide on a way forward following the incidents. Sheep Esports have reached out and talked with management of Lionscreed but has not yet received an official statement or response to questions surrounding the matter. The NLC has not yet commented on the situation, though they remain hard at work at solving the issues and have helped privately clarify certain aspects of the situation.

Sheep Esports is committed to sharing any worthwhile updates as soon as the situation evolves and is continuing investigations into the matter as more information is shared.