Natus Vincere (NAVI)'s Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev has criticised Virtus.pro for their decision to make a roster change in the middle of the European RMR.
KaiR0N-'s future with Virtus.pro is looking uncertain
Ahead of their April 8 match against MOUZ in the European RMR, Virtus.pro made the surprise decision to replace Aleksandr "KaiR0N-" Anashkin with benched player David "n0rb3r7" Daniyelyan.
“Young players do not immediately adapt to the pressure of LAN events, especially important ones like RMR," explained Virtus.pro CEO Nikolai Petrossian in a statement. "Therefore, David will replace Alex today. As I said at the beginning of the year, n0rb3r7 is a brilliant player that we count on. Today he has to show everything he is capable of. It's time to support the team as a whole, and both David and Sasha individually, as they have a lot on their shoulders right now."
The sudden roster change proved immediately controversial, particularly because KaiR0N- has been on the Virtus.pro lineup for just three months. KaiR0N- joined the Russian organisation in January, as a replacement for n0rb3r7 - who in turn replaced him for their RMR match against MOUZ.
Worst yet is that the roster change didn't even help the team's chances - with Virtus.pro losing to MOUZ with a score of 2-0. As a result, has failed to qualify for the Paris Major and questions are now circulating about KaiRoN-'s future with the team.
In response, s1mple took to his Telegram channel to discuss various topics, including his take on the situation with Virtus.pro.
“I think they acted like pieces of sh*t,” said s1mple. “To change a player before an elimination match in a qualifier for a Major, pick up a sub, buy him tickets and still f*ck up.
“First, they made up excuses about documents and then said that he was nervous. Yesterday we talked," he claimed. "We were standing with [NAVI's Head of Esports] Amiran in the smoking area. KaiR0N- came over and we asked if he was nervous or something. He said, ‘Nah. The team decided so. What can I do?’ And I’m thinking, ‘What a great team you have.’”
He argued that players should sign a contract with Outsiders (Virtus.pro) for a "maximum of one year," adding that "otherwise this org, if you can call it that, will eat you. Such an attitude towards the players is unacceptable. How can you sign a deal with Satan?"
"I can't recall such bullsh*t happening in the history of CS:GO, of 19 Majors, that such a ****show happens in a qualifier," s1mple claimed on his Telegram. "Well-deserved **** up on the part of the organisation, which doesn't give a ****."
s1mple clearly isn't pulling his punches - though we're sure the folks over at Virtus.pro have their own opinions on the matter. Whatever happens next, we'll keep you up to date right here Luckbox. The drama continues both in and outside of the game - and you can follow along with everything via our upcoming CS:GO match schedule. And for a really exciting CS:GO betting experience, why not sign up to claim your free 100% bonus?
