However, as it turns out, BLAST allegedly did not do their due diligence regarding the matter as br0’s agent clarifying on X (formerly Twitter): “As we represent @br0CSGO teams have reached out to me, regarding his health or medical condition, he is fully fine, obviously unfortunate he got benched. Nevertheless, Alex is fully healthy and ready to perform. So feel free to keep reaching out.”
BLAST’s public statement
Critics were disappointed as BLAST’s public statement allowed Astralis to maintain their captain’s substitutions, outlining its policy and previous applications of its rulebook before stating that it has been given "no reason to question Astralis' original statement to [BLAST]." Yet, they have to failed to address the very clear statements of br0’s agent that indicate the former captain is perfectly well. Regardless, BLAST’s public statement goes as following:
"Regarding the emergency substitution used by Astralis at the Fall Final: BLAST’s policy has always allowed such substitutions for health-related reasons that are beyond a team’s control when no other eligible player has been registered,” the statement opened.
“As of the 2024 Fall Final, BLAST’s rulebook does not bind a team regarding who they appoint as their emergency substitute. From 2025, we will look into ensuring our rulebook is more aligned to the Majors and the parameters of emergency substitutes are better clarified. Per our rulebook, any use of an emergency substitution results in a 25% deduction of prize money and a seeding penalty. This will be the case for the 2024 Fall Final,” BLAST clarified the ruling.
“In the past we have denied emergency substitutions when the root cause is visa issues. Per our rulebook, visas are typically the responsibility of the teams and are not considered valid grounds for emergency substitutes in the vast majority of cases,” BLAST addressed counter-examples brought up by the captains in their open letter.
“When it comes to player health, we take team statements at face value. As a general rule, if these statements were subsequently proved to be false, we reserve the right to impose severe sanctions such as denying World Final qualification and/or additional prize pool penalties. In this 2024 Fall Final case, we have been given no reason to question Astralis’ original statement to us and the decision to allow them to use an emergency substitute stands,” BLAST concluded, remaining firm in their decision.
The open letter
For those interested in reading the open letter that was signed by all the captains except cadiaN, they can read it below:
“There are two things we as IGLs want to address when it comes to Blast's decision regarding the allowance of Cadian to play for Astralis at Blast Fall Finals.
Firstly, integrity is of utmost importance. The roster lock rules are established for this very purpose. There have been 2 separate cases where coaches were forced to play for their respective teams: Heroic at Blast Fall Groups, and G2 at Blast Spring Finals. Emergency substitutes have previously been denied, and in this case, we believe that if br0 is in fact unfit to play, Astralis coach Ruggah would have to step in and play.
The results at Blast Fall Finals have a significant impact on the RMR Rankings, as well as a significant impact on the teams that are currently fighting for crucial points to qualify for Blast World Finals.
The second aspect we wish to address is our firm stance against the exploitation of mental health or physical health issues as a means to justify the allowance of an emergency substitute. We believe that such matters should never be taken lightly. In the event that a player faces an emergency in the future, it is essential to respect their privacy and extend our wishes for a speedy recovery to them.
We are not requesting evidence of br0’s situation, and we extend our best wishes and respect to him, if an emergency is indeed the case. As previously mentioned, rules are rules, and according to the precedent set by Blast stating that if no substitutes are added prior to the event, the coach would be the primary substitute.
Given the circumstances, we believe that Ruggah should serve as a substitute, and be permitted to play, if he is in good health and fit to do so.
Finally, if Astralis were to receive a penalty or sanction, we advocate that any fine imposed should be going towards a mental health charity donation.
Sincerely,
karrigan, apex, snappi, aleksib, twistzz, snax, chopper”
