Ex-KRU Valorant coach Onur dismissed and faces deportation over vaccine controversy
Riot Games/Jianhua ChenValorant coach Rodrigo ‘Onur’ Dalmagro has revealed that he is about to be deported from Brazil after failing to provide a valid vaccination passport.
The Argentine coach expressed his frustrations surrounding the decision to remove him from Brazil following his failure to provide an up to date proof of vaccination.
He claims that he is not anti-vaccine but that he is against the idea of vaccine passports and is “willing to lose out on a job to remain consistent” in his beliefs.
Las vacunas, sobre todo en grupos de riesgo, son necesarias y algo bueno. Los pasaportes sanitarios no. Estoy dispuesto a perder un trabajo para ser consistente con mi pensamiento. No voy a ceder. No me van a quebrar.
— Rodrigo Dalmagro (@onurthegreat) January 2, 2022
According to Onur, who coached KRU Esports during their semi-final run at Valorant Champions, he was in the very late stages of discussions with LOUD to coach for their 2022 Valorant roster but was not yet officially contracted to the organization.
His comments received considerable backlash on social media by the Brazilian community and the wider world of Valorant. He stated in a Twitlonger that LOUD have now pulled out of their negotiations with him, a move which he “understands and respects”.
Brazil’s travel restrictions
The controversy began on January 2, when the coach announced via Twitter that he was close to being deported from Brazil for not possessing an updated vaccine passport.
A punto de ser deportado de Brasil por no tener el calendario de vacunación actualizado. No triunfa la libertad.
— Rodrigo Dalmagro (@onurthegreat) January 2, 2022
As of December 18, Brazil requires proof of full vaccination for any visitor entering the country via air or sea according to their official government website. Onur states neither he nor LOUD was aware of this change to policy.
Those exempt from proof of vaccination include those with pre-existing health conditions that make vaccination impossible, and those coming from countries with low vaccination rates due to scarcity.
In his Twitlonger post, Onur explained that the airline he traveled on to Brazil allowed him to board the plane without checking the new government requirements. He was therefore able to arrive in Brazil without the requisite paperwork, but he was quickly detained.
He and his partner were allegedly made to wait in Brazilian immigration control for over 14 hours “without food, without a change of clothes or personal hygiene items, and without answers from the airline on when we could return.” It’s not clear whether he is still in Brazil at the time of this article’s publication.
Riot’s stance on vaccination and the situation with LOUD
Onur stressed that he made his position on vaccinations clear from the very beginning of his discussions with LOUD. Apparently, neither he nor LOUD ever received clear communication from Riot on whether vaccination was required to compete in international tournaments.
He also claimed that LOUD were initially happy to continue supporting him even when it was clear that he would be deported, and would not be able to join the team in Brazil. However, due to the controversy surrounding his tweets, they decided to take “a different course of action.”
Wojciech Wandzel / Riot GamesHis reaction to the events via Twitter brought no shortage of controversy. Many Brazilian community figures were quick to defend the government’s decision, saying that his personal freedom did not give him the right to put others at risk.
LOUD have yet to comment on the matter. Their 2022 roster reportedly includes ex-Vikings duo Gustavo ‘Sacy’ Rossi and Matias ‘Saadhak’ Delipetro, and will mark the organization’s entry into Valorant.