Overwatch 2 pro Masaa withdraws from Esports World Cup in protest of Saudi Government

Overwatch 2 professional Petja “Masaa” Kantanen has announced that he will not attend the upcoming Esports World Cup 2024 in Saudia Arabia. In his recent Twitch stream, the Finnish support revealed his decision about not playing in the forthcoming tournament. Several content creators like bogur have appreciated Masaa’s courageous decision to prioritize his values over his professional career.

With that in mind, this article will shed some light on the current situation of ENCE and why Masaa took such a bold decision.

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ENCE Masaa will not attend the Esports World Cup

As mentioned, ENCE’s Support Masaa has withdrawn himself from playing in the Esports World Cup to protest against the Saudi Government. The situation was on the verge of boiling over as many esports figures were divided over the LGBT rights issue in Saudi.

Many netizens suggest that the regional Government wants to divert this massive issue from people's attention by hosting these big events. However, some of the professionals have been vocal over this human rights concern since the announcement of the prestigious Esports World Cup.

Masaa was a renowned Support player, known for playing in several franchized teams namely Atlanta Reign and Vancouver Titans. However, two years ago, he retired from the professional scene. In 2024, he joined BuboSprayCheck, now acquired by a Finnish org ENCE. They recently finished fourth in the OWCS 2024 Major after losing to SpaceStationGaming.

As the Finnish organization is preparing itself to participate in the Esports World Cup 2024, the 28-year-old support took his decision to withdraw himself, leaving the community in surprise. The Finnish support has yet to disclose full information on why he doesn’t want to attend the World Cup event. On the other hand, ENCE has also not made any statements regarding this incident or their updated roster for the Riyadh World Cup.

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