Sentinels zekken clarifies his "China" statement with an apology: "I had no racist intention"
Sentinels zekken has recently come forward to apologize and clarify a statement he made during a live stream. Zachary "zekken" Patrone was livestreaming his predictions for VCT Masters Shanghai when he ended up making a controversial statement. At the moment, it didn't seem to register as complicated; however, later on, some backlash followed, compelling zekken to address it from his X handle.
His precise words were,
"I'm a China hater"
However, he later came forward on X to clarify that he merely had no faith in the current Chinese team and in no way had "racist intention."
Sentinels zekken apologizes over China comment
The incident happened as Sentinels zekken was laying down his predictions for Masters Shanghai. He went on to pick EMEA contender Team Heretics over the Chinese Stage 1 champions, EDward Gaming.
However, his choice of words became an issue for many and may have led to some backlash online. Quickly, zekken came forward with his apology and clarified that he was merely speaking of the teams and not of the country as a whole:
"I had no racist intention in saying that, in easier terms i was saying that I don't believe in VCT CN this tournament. I have absolutely nothing against China or any of its players"
He also went on to admit that what he said could have offended some. This may be because of the interpretation of what he said. Sentinels zekken acknowledged that what he said could come off as hostile toward a whole population, but he did not mean any harm to anyone.
"I understand how when translated what I said can come off as very hostile. I apologize to anyone who may have interpreted it in that way as it wasn't my intention at all when I said it. I'll be more careful with my words in the future"
He apologized for his choice of words and assured the fans that similar issues won't arise again. Sentinels zekken has been a major part of the team and helped the team secure the trophy at Masters Madrid.
While Sentinels could not secure Masters Shanghai, they still stood up to their competition and will return to the stage during VCT Americas Stage 2.