An incident occurred at the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 involving Vitality player flameZ, where he showed the middle finger to EF players. Footage of this moment was broadcasted, sparking discussions. The player explained the situation, emphasizing that it was all a joke.

Background and comment from flameZ

FlameZ made the gesture at the score of 1-4, when Vitality won their first round, and everyone thought he directed it at Eternal Fire. But as it later turned out, this moment was captured in a joking manner before the match started. 

Just to clarify, I was joking with the cameraman and showed him the middle finger. BLAST filmed it from a different angle and published it. I have nothing but respect for EF and wish them all the best

 

Thus, flameZ explained that the gesture did not have a negative undertone and was not directed at opponents or anyone else.

Statement from BLAST

Tournament organizers BLAST also commented on the incident. They acknowledged that the moment was taken out of context and should not have been broadcasted, emphasizing that flameZ's gesture was not directed at opponents or other participants.

This moment, which happened during an interaction between the player and the camera crew out of context, should not have been shown as it occurred before the match started. We want to clarify that the gesture was not aimed at opponents or other players.

 

BLAST also expressed regret over the negative reaction caused by this situation.

We sincerely regret that this has led to a barrage of abusive messages targeting the player. We do not support any abuse towards players in any form.

 

Community reaction

As always, incidents of this kind spark intense discussions among fans. But this time, there were also positive notes in the comments. Many noted that such vivid moments are what make esports alive and emotional, though there were also negative comments.

No one cares, people like it. Please, don't turn into Valorant. 

b3n5

Honestly, it’s not, it's just an apology for showing it out of context. Give me as many middle fingers in context as possible. Trav  

Trav

He needs to learn how to behave in public. It's childish. Everyone demonstrates manners learned from parents.

Pilli Bebek

Many also recalled other similar moments, the middle finger from jL, apEX, and a recent one from broky, which had caused a great stir at the time.

BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 takes place from January 23 to 26 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Eight teams will compete for a prize pool of $500,000. You can follow the schedule and results of the event via link.