Due to sanctions against Russia, the Russian teams Virtus.pro and Gambit got into difficult situations. Because the two organizations are said to have relations with the Kremlin through several corners, the organizations have been banned. However, in order not to punish the players, as long as they compete under a neutral name, the lineups of the two organizations will still be allowed to play in the upcoming major cycle.
Connections to the Kremlin will be punished
Recently, the PGL announced that both Virtus.pro and Gambit will not be allowed to participate in the upcoming PGL Major Antwerp and Regional Major Ranking events. This decision is already known from ESL, which also did not allow teams to participate that have ties to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
In the case of Gambit, the direct connection to the Russian telecommunication network MTS, which in turn belongs to Vladimir Yevtushenkov, is the issue. Yevtushenkov is a Russian oligarch directly connected to the Kremlin. Virtus.pro is similar, as they are a part of ESforce holding, which in turn belongs to the Russian state insurance company Sogaz, which again is a direct link to the Kremlin.
PGL RMR and PGL Major Antwerp 2022 – Decision on the participation of Russian organizations
Full statement – https://t.co/ccqyU3WKvk#PGLANTWERPMAJOR pic.twitter.com/7P45bn5DM2
— PGL (@pglesports) April 9, 2022
Teams allowed to compete under “neutral names”
The two Russian lineups have had to compete under a neutral name in ESL Pro League 15 matches before, and will likely do so this time as well. Back then they chose the names “Players” and “Outsiders”. It was up to the organizations to decide whether or not to allow the players to participate in the matches under a different name and they decided to let their players choose freely themselves.
In addition, they were not allowed to show logos of Russian sponsors on their T-shirts.Nevertheless, there were a lot of protests and Virtus.pro called these rules the best example of “Cancel Culture”. Many fans in the community didn’t like this new rule with the neutral name either, but were glad that players weren’t banned from participating in the event.
But it also leaves orgs without any revenue. This action is not against the players, it is against clubs in the first place
— Taras Bortnyk (@KvintUA) April 9, 2022
In the wake of the war, there were also sanctions against Russia and many companies and publishers are currently no longer selling their products and services to Russia. The PGL has stated in its statement that the teams will be allowed to participate in the matches under a neutral name again this time.
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