EMEA Champions FPX cannot attend VCT Master’s due to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis; Team Liquid invited to take their place

FunPlus Phoenix aka FPX won’t be flying to Reykjavík, Iceland for VCT Masters in April.

Due to travel restrictions in Ukraine and Russia, and COVID-19 regulations, FPX is unable to field a roster. Therefore Team Liquid will replace them, Riot Games revealed in a statement on social media today.

“Our events, competitive operations, and mobility teams worked to find solutions to ensure the FPX roster could attend Masters. These options included extending the roster lock window, relaxing emergency substitute rules, and liaising with the relevant government officials to secure visas and travel permissions. Unfortunately, and through no fault of their own, FPX will not be able to field a complete roster in Reykjavík.”

Also read: “Tarik you are an L Friend”: How did Tarik become an L Friend to JasonR’s controversy?

Unfortunate event for FPX

FPX triumphed in EMEA Stage One Challengers with a roster that included two Russian players, Shao and SUYGETSU, and one Ukrainian player, ANGE1. Traveling to Europe from Russia and Ukraine continues to be challenging and complicated.

Liquid, the team that placed fourth in the playoffs, will compete at Masters Reykjavík in place of FPX. This ensures that all three EMEA slots are filled with fairness. It is truly a sad and unfortunate event to not see a team’s potential in this way.

On March 10, FPX was in the spotlight for another reason. The organization wasn’t planning to pay ANGE1 a full salary during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a report by Dot Esports. The org, however, later apologized and wrote its wrongs by paying the player his full salary.

Also read: Russian VALORANT players will probably be banned from playing at VCT Masters Reykjavik

Fan reactions to Team Liquid being invited

Many players are in shock with some even providing suggestions. But given the dire situation, the suggestions are moot.