The League of Legends European Championship... has announced a sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabian city-building project Neom - a move that has already attracted significant criticism from fans...

reports allege Saudi authorities are removing and even killing Huwaiti tribe members to make way for the project...

Riot's decision to make a deal with a Saudi state-backed project is troubling more generally, as the country has a notoriously poor human rights record, and homosexuality is still criminalised with punishments ranging from floggings to the death penalty. Something which, as fans have pointed out, clashes with the LEC's current pride logo...

In response to significant criticism from the League of Legends fan base and casters, the LEC has ended its controversial sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia city project Neom.