Veteran coach Bjorn ‘Zeys’ Ong has been under the limelight following dismal performance from the Indonesian MLBB national team in SEA Games 2023 which ended few days ago.
A few weeks ago, Zeys who served as the head coach for the MLBB national team competing in the 2023 SEA Games announced the final line-up he had chosen to compete in Cambodia. Even though his decision has sparked debate among the MLBB community in Indonesia, many believed that the experience and his achievements as the former head coach of Evos Esports can bring Indonesia to victory in the 2023 SEA Games.
The final results, however, fell far short of expectations. Indonesia, which was regarded as the superior team in Group B, defeated by the Cambodian and Myanmar national teams. Even though they defeated the Singaporean national team in their final group stage game, the result was insignificant because Cambodia and Myanmar outperformed Indonesia in points.
This dismal performance eventually garnered attention from SEA’s audience. Many pundits and analysts were surprised at Indonesia’s early exit, especially considering that the Indonesian national Team was packed with players from top three teams in MPL ID. Most viewers have questioned Zeys’ decisions during the competition.
In the games against Cambodia and Myanmar, Zeys received criticism due to his draft picks that were deemed incapable of matching the more pragmatic playstyles of their opponents. Furthermore, he relied more on Evos key players and benched Nicky “Kiboy” Fernando (Onic esports) and Calvyn “Vyn” (RRQ Hoshi), who were named as the best players in MPL ID Season 11.
Instead of responding to his critics by providing an explanation from tactical point of view, Zeys blamed other factors, such as the competition format, which was played in best-of-one, and the tight schedule for the MPL ID S11 competition, which he claimed wasn’t enough for the players and coaching staff in this competition. Furthermore, he believed that his players were inferior to their opponents.
“We only had two and a half weeks of preparation. When the MPL ID S11 took place, it was difficult for us to practice as a team. During MPL ID, I should be allowed to follow the teams of players I chose,” said Zeys in an interview session at the SEA Games.
Zeys’ statement was met with harsh criticism from Indonesian MLBB national team supporters. Most of them accused Zeys was looking for an excuse and went to show examples of how Malaysian and Myanmar teams, who had less preparation time than Indonesia, had done better in the tournament. Others criticised Zeys of being unduly biassed towards Evos and judging their performance solely on their achievement in IESF tournament last year. In addition, thoese Indonesia fans took it to Twitter and flooded the timeline with insults directed at Zeys.
Retirement soon?
Two weeks ago, Zeys reportedly intended to take a hiatus from MLBB competition once the 2023 MLBB SEA Games competition concludes. Previously in M4 in Jakarta, he stated that he was open to coaching offers from any MPL team, including those from outside Indonesia.
So far, there has been no word on whether he will continue as the man in charge for the Indonesian national MLBB team. However, Zeys’ relationship with PBESI is most likely at its worst at the moment, given that numerous members of the Indonesian Board of Esports (PBESI) reportedly are unhappy with the team performance in the SEA Games.
