Dzhami \u201cJame\u201d Ali, Alexey \u201cqikert\u201d Golubev, Mareks \u201cYEKINDAR\u201d Ga\u013cinskis, Timur \u201cbuster\u201d Tulepov, and Evgeny \u201cFL1T\u201d Lebedev will play at ESL Pro League season 15 under the ‘Outsiders’ tag, according to a report<\/a> from Dexerto.<\/p>
Under normal circumstances, the players would represent Virtus Pro. ESL, however, has prohibited VP and Gambit, two organizations with \u201capparent ties\u201d to the Russian government, from being represented at the tournament<\/a> as a result of sanctions imposed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.<\/p>
Although VP did allow its players to compete in ESL Pro League season 15, it heavily criticized ESL’s sanctions. “ESL refuses to communicate with the club management, preferring speaking directly to the players,” the organization said in a statement<\/a> on Friday, March 4, describing it as a “prime example of cancel culture.” <\/p>
