Riot Games terminates VCT EMEA partnership with Movistar KOI

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Movistar KOI, a team from the VCT EMEA, was disqualified due to a violation of their contract, prompting their co-founder, Ibai, to express his dissatisfaction with Riot’s method of communication regarding the matter.

Unexpectedly, Riot Games ended their VCT EMEA collaboration with Movistar KOI, stating that the Spanish team had violated the terms of the league’s contractual agreement. This revelation left the entire VALORANT community in a state of shock.

VCT EMEA x Movistar KOI

On September 6, Riot Games announced a violation of the team’s contractual obligations with the league, without providing specific reasons for the action. However, it was clarified that this decision will not impact Movistar KOI’s involvement in any other Riot-hosted esports events.

Beginning from 2026, a fresh squad will assume KOI’s position within the VCT EMEA, as the EMEA Ascension tournament proceeds unaltered, elevating the top two teams into the league.

At the end of the season, the KOI team members will no longer be tied to their current roster and instead become eligible free agents. Since the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) transfer window has already closed, Riot Games is planning to make an exception by offering a brief signing period for these players. This temporary opening will continue until the standard transfer window reopens again.

Ibai’s update about the decision

Ibai Llanos, a well-known Spanish content creator, streamer, and co-founder of Movistar KOI, shared a video discussing the situation regarding VCT EMEA (Valorant Champions Tour Europe and Middle East Africa). In this 10-minute video, he disclosed that Riot Games contacted the organization on September 5th, which was a day prior to the public announcement, notifying them that Movistar KOI had been unexpectedly withdrawn from the league.

The co-founder admitted that our team’s leadership and results have been lackluster since we joined the VCT EMEA in 2022, with KOI. However, Ibai understood why Riot made the competitive decision, but he voiced his displeasure at the way Riot communicated this critical decision without giving us any advance notice. In simpler terms, while Ibai acknowledged that Riot may have had good reasons for their choice from a competitive perspective, he felt that they were not clear in their communication with KOI about it.

In the video, Ibai disclosed that KOI had previously arranged for Kirian ‘Yaba’ Martinez to be their coach in the 2026 season, but unfortunately, this arrangement is now cancelled. He added, “It took everyone by surprise since there was no prior notification whatsoever.

Ibai suggested that it’s possible Riot Games might bring back Gentle Mates, a team with a large fanbase and impact on VCT EMEA audience numbers, following their demotion due to subpar performance earlier in the year. However, Riot Games has not yet confirmed these speculations.

Players reactions

The surprising announcement sparked reactions within the community, with several professional European gamers expressing their thoughts on platform X. Member of Team Heretics, Mert “Wo0t” Alkan, commented on the original post, saying “welcome back, Gentle Fellows,” and explaining that it was merely a light critique of Riot’s decision, not meant as disrespect towards KOI or its players.

Currently, the winner of Champions 2022 and team strategist for Karmine Corp, Matias “Saadhak” Delipetro, has shared his disappointment and urged Riot Games to clarify the situation for the community. Other players such as FNATIC’s Jake “Boaster” Howlett and Team Vitality’s Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev have voiced their bewilderment in response to the official announcement, as expressed through their comments.

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2025-09-06 19:11