Valorant star xand announces retirement after tournament ban over past racist comments
Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesBrazilian Valorant star Alexandre ‘xand’ Zizi has announced his retirement over a month after he was banned mid-tournament due to an old clip of him using a racist term resurfacing on social media.
Xand, a mainstay of Brazilian Valorant, has announced his retirement from professional play on social media. The player was previously a CS:GO pro before making a splash in Valorant in 2020. He played for squads like FURIA Esports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and KRÜ Esports before his retirement.
Xand has made international tournament appearances during his time as a Valorant pro, qualifying for Valorant Champions 2021 with FURIA, and Masters Reykjavik 2022 with NIP. However, xand has had a difficult 2023 season.
He signed with KRÜ in late 2022 and was expected to play for the team in VCT Americas. But he was benched and eventually released from the squad before getting a chance to play in the league. He then went on to play in the Brazilian Challengers League.
This off-season wasn’t much better for the player as a clip resurfaced on social media of him using a racist term, causing him to be banned from an off-season event.
Valorant pro xand announces retirement following controversy
Xand was competing with The Union as a stand-in in the Multiplatform Esports Game 2023 tournament back in October when a clip from his CS:GO days was reposted online. The clip showcased him using a racist Portuguese term. He was swiftly banned from the tournament after the footage circulated, while the event was ongoing. The player posted an apology on social media shortly after.
During the off-season, xand has been linked with a few LATAM and Brazilian squads, however, he did not manage to sign with any.
“I hung up my boots, today I open stream and talk about,” he said via a machine translation, followed by a sad smiley face emoji.
xand revealed on his live stream that he is turning to full-time streaming, but his retirement is not permanent and that he could return to the esport one day.
“Why am I stopping playing? Because Valorant doesn’t pay my bills, there’s no way to play Valorant without paying my bills. My family, my girlfriend and my house are my priority. I can’t pay the bills without a casino, playing Valorant,” he said on his stream, according to THE ENEMY.