YEKINDAR Talks About His Future in CS:GO With Virtus.pro
The Latvian professional is uncertain about the road ahead.
Cover-Credits:
Multiple CS:GO tournament organizers like ESL and BLAST have imposed respective sanctions against Russian esports organizations due to the ongoing Ukraine crisis. This has impacted several teams from the region including Virtus.pro (VP), who was all set to compete in WePlay CIS Masters: Spring 2022 and ESL Pro League Season 15.
Speaking about how this conflict would impact VP, Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis acknowledged that his future with the team was uncertain. In an interview with sportacentrs.com, the Latvian professional revealed that he wants to continue playing and competing with the same team.
Yekinder uncertain about his future with VP following sanctions by CS:GO tournament organizers
Virtus.pro was looking in great shape this year, starting off their 2022 season with a win at the ESL Challenger #48, followed by a 5th-6th finish at IEM Katowice 2022 where they got an opportunity to play in front of a live audience at the Spodek Arena.
However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has impacted the organization which features two Russian members, three Kazakh members, and a Latvian national in its roster.
In addition, Yekindar stated that if some of his teammates are not able to travel or participate in certain tournaments in the future, then some changes may likely occur.
If there are any regulations or restrictions regarding the arrival of my teammate(s) from Russia to the tournaments, visa (issues), or rules from the organizers themselves, then it is very likely that there will be some changes. Well, most likely there will be. All I can do is wait and see how things unfold, the future is uncertain.Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis - Interview with Sportacentrs.com
YEKINDAR who has played with most of his current teammates for more than two years now stated that he has a great understanding with them on a personal level. "Everyone on the team are great friends," he said. The 22-year-old also revealed that he wants to play with the current team, it's just that at this point in time, "I really don't know if it will be possible, there is still uncertainty."
According to present sanctions by BLAST and ESL, VP's future in top-tier CS:GO tournaments presently looks grim.
Virtus.pro will not be able to participate in the BLAST Premier circuit because the CIS qualifiers (WePlay CIS Masters: Spring 2022) have been cancelled and all Russia-based organizations being banned from BLAST events in the foreseeable future.
Virtus.pro lineup can only participate in the ESL Pro League Season 15 under a "neutral name", without representing their country, organization, or any of their team's sponsors (on their clothes or otherwise).
