Fnatic Drops Academy Roster in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
One of the well-established esports franchises, Fnatic, has made the decision to no longer have an academy roster in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The reason behind Fnatic’s move is the recent concerns raised by tournament organizers regarding potential conflicts of interest when esports teams own multiple CS:GO rosters.
On May 19, Fnatic secured a spot in the upcoming European Minor, which serves as a pre-qualifier for the upcoming PGL Kraków Major. However, to take part in the tournament, the team would need to rebrand due to a recent rule change imposed by the organizer. Consequently, the players have decided to seek a new home entirely.
It’s worth noting that PGL is not the only CS:GO event organizer taking a stand against teams fielding multiple rosters. ESL also announced on April 22 that organizations would be required to sell their academy division if they intended to compete in an event alongside their main roster.
Fnatic is not the only prominent organization that may face the need to sever ties with its academy squad. For instance, Gambit acquired an academy team in February of this year.
The former Fnatic Academy roster was added to the team on August 23 of the previous year. Since joining, the players have performed admirably in various international LAN events. However, their most significant achievement came on December 18 when they emerged as the winners of a $71,000 prize at the China Top event in Shenzen, China.
The former Fnatic Academy roster will be competing in the European Minor from June 15 to 18 under a name that is yet to be determined.
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