Garena bans Grecco for racism after EWC26 final
Garena Esports LATAM confirms an indefinite ban of José Antonio 'Grecco' Grecco following racist comments made on social media after the EWC26 final.
By
Ronny Rolim
Garena Esports LATAM confirmed the ban of José Antonio "Grecco" Grecco from all official competitions of the company worldwide. The sanction was announced in an official statement published by the account @ffesportslatam this Tuesday (22), in response to the racist comments made by the player on his social media shortly after the EWC26 final.
The ban is indefinite and does not allow for appeal, according to the text released by the organization. The case gained attention after Grecco called a LOUD player a monkey in a post made in his stories on July 18.
What the official statement says
According to the document, published from Mexico City, Garena classified the player's conduct under item 11.1.6 of the official regulations, which addresses discrimination and defamation — defined as offending the dignity or integrity of a country, individual, or group of people through derogatory, discriminatory, or defamatory words or actions based on race, skin color, ethnicity, national or social origin, gender, language, religion, sexual orientation, political opinion or other condition.
Garena also clarified that Grecco has not been part of the official Free Fire competitive ecosystem since the Clausura 2023, and that his comments do not represent the community or the competitive league of Latin America. Nonetheless, the company decided to formalize the ban as an institutional response to the case.
Garena Esports LATAM banned José Antonio "Grecco" Grecco indefinitely from all official Free Fire competitions worldwide, following racist comments made by the player against a LOUD athlete after the EWC26 final.
Timeline of the case
Recall how the case unfolded:
- July 18: Grecco posts a racist comment in his stories, calling a LOUD player a monkey during the fallout from the EWC26 final;
- Following days: the screenshot circulates among pages and content creators in the Free Fire community, generating strong backlash, even after the original post was deleted;
- July 22: Garena Esports LATAM publishes an official statement confirming the ban of Grecco from all company competitions, with no right to appeal.
A rare and direct statement
It is uncommon for Garena to issue a statement naming a player directly and detailing the article of the regulations violated, which underscores the seriousness with which the company handled the episode. The decision also signals that, even though he is no longer part of the official competitive ecosystem, behaviors like this can result in formal and permanent bans from Garena competitions anywhere in the world.
This case reinforces the zero-tolerance stance on racism within the Free Fire competitive scene, especially after an edition of the EWC marked by the historic victory of LYON as world champion.
To follow other developments in the competitive scene, also see the complete coverage of Free Fire competitive and the latest news from Free Fire.
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