XSET Rainbow Six Coach Budega banned for homophobic slur

On 20th May 2022, Matheus "Budega" Figueiredo, the coach for Boston-based American esports organization XSET, was issued a 12-month suspension from engaging in Rainbow Six Siege competitive events for using homophobic slurs directed at fellow Team Liquid competitors.

XSET coach Budega hit with 1-year ban for major misconduct

According to the competitive ruling issued via the Rainbow Six Esports official Twitter account, "On May 17 and 18, during matches between XSET and Team Liquid, XSET coach Matheus "Budega" Figueiredo breached the Rainbow Six Circuit Global Rulebook on multiple occasions, engaging in major misconduct directed at members of Team Liquid."

Competitive ruling: Matheus "Budega" Figueiredo pic.twitter.com/Zatipb22C5

— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) May 20, 2022

The ruling continued, noting, "Per the Rulebook - Annex B - Penalty Index, it has been decided to issue a 12-month suspension against Budega, effective immediately and until May 19, 2023, and to issue a competitive fine of USD $5,000 against XSET."

Under this ruling, a 12-month suspension is a minimum sentence, with a maximum penalty being a permanent ban from Rainbow Six competitive.

The ban surprised many in the Rainbow Six esports scene, marked by Tweets of shock, disgust, and confusion regarding the ban. "What the hell happened," wrote one Twitter user. "Is it because of the banter? Or were his words actually foul enough to warrant a ban? A year seems pretty excessive," exclaimed another.

Clarifying the severity of Budega's actions, Team Liquid manager André "Sensi" Kaneyasu explained that Budega used homophobic slurs to degrade a fellow player. "Do you think calling a player 'faggot' is enough for you? And there's more..." Sensi said.

Do you think calling a player “faggot” is enough for you? And there’s more…

— Liquid Sensi (@sensifps) May 20, 2022

In a separate thread on Twitter, Budega explained that he barely had a chance to defend himself. "Not even a single message or a chance to defend myself [by the way]. Just woke up and saw this. My whole family is traveling [right now] to see me on a stage. Thank You Liquid, your childish actions has (sic) done u fine! Hope u can win now!"

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In a series of subsequent Tweets, Budega added that the alleged word was translated by Sensi himself and "has nowhere near the connotation and meaning in Brazilian culture [or] language." Furthermore, according to Budega, the word "bicha" (or "bixa") in Portuguese is instead a "common word for [a] coward."

Honestly, the point we should be talking is about how Liquid run things in Brazil. They target individuals since their launch in Siege, silence their "enemies" every time they see fit. Without taking a single responsability

— Matheus Figueiredo (@budegadeleao) May 20, 2022

"Ubisoft has not contacted us about it, and after the game said everything was fine. It's really that they use Liquid's word for something so serious that should [be] debated in a fair way. I was wrong in saying such a taboo word in the heat of the moment. But it's from where I came from," the esports star said.

At this time, Ubisoft hasn't provided a comprehensive report with the evidence to support its decision. However, we will endeavor to provide further updates regarding this story as it becomes available.

The rest of the XSET team will continue their run at the Six Charlotte Major 2022 and future competitive events without Budega.

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Featured image courtesy of Ubisoft.