Cover-Credits:
Team Liquid’s newest member in its Valorant roster Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom has reportedly contracted COVID-19 ahead of Valorant Champions. The upcoming world championship is being held in Berlin, Germany amidst skyrocketing cases in the country. Germany has reported over 1.1 million cases of coronavirus in the past four weeks alone according to the COVID-19 dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
It is currently unknown if Nivera will be able to compete in the upcoming event and if he is ruled out of the event, it could deal a huge blow to Team Liquid’s chances of winning Valorant Champions.
Nivera may be allowed to play if he competes in an isolated environment
According to a report by Upcomer, Nivera contracted the virus a few weeks prior to the event and he has tested positive a second time right before champions. It is currently unknown if Nivera will be allowed to compete at Champions with multiple players and team staff members not being aware of his test results. The report claims that the test likely occurred after the quarantine period which might be concerning for Team Liquid.
Despite testing positive for COVID-19 Team Liquid might be able to field the player if he competes in an isolated environment. Liquid is set to go up against KRÜ Esports in its very first match and if it wins the first round, Sentinels is likely to be its second competitor. Nivera has been extremely vital to Team Liquid's recent success. Nivera not being on the roster can prove to be devastating.
Since Nivera’s arrival at Team Liquid, the team has not lost a single game. Nivera is Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom’s brother, who is also a part of the same roster. The siblings transitioned from CS:GO to Valorant after the launch of Riot Games’ shooter. Nivera joined ScreaM in September 2021 after replacing James “Kryptix” Affleck, who stepped down from the roster due to personal issues.
Team Liquid is one of the strongest contenders to win Valorant Champions and Nivera being ruled out of the competition will dampen the mood of the team's supporters. However, Upcomer's report claims that despite being tested positive, Nivera is likely to be allowed to compete provided proper precautions are taken. It remains to be seen how Riot Games handles the situation if the reports turn out to be true.
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