kNgV- steps down from MIBR

The 28-year-old has asked to be moved to the bench and admitted that there was a "lack of interest" from the organisation in signing the lineup he wanted.

MIBR player Vito "⁠kNgV-⁠" Giuseppe has announced that he has requested to be moved to the bench with immediate effect. In a Twitlonger post, the 28-year-old expressed frustration over MIBR playing hardball while conducting negotiations with a view to building a lineup for 2021.

kNgV- wanted MIBR to retain Lucas "⁠LUCAS1⁠" Teles, Leonardo "⁠leo_drk⁠" Oliveira and Vinicius "⁠vsm⁠" Moreira after the trio had stepped in for the team at the end of 2020, when the lineup was depleted to just two players. He also wanted the organisation to sign FURIA AWPer Henrique "⁠HEN1⁠" Teles, who has expressed his wish to reunite with his twin brother, LUCAS1.

kNgV- says he couldn't accept a "75% devaluation" to sign a new deal

Raphael "⁠cogu⁠" Camargo, the team's manager and coach, revealed on Tuesday that there had been a breakdown in negotiations with MIBR. On Wednesday, he said on Alexandre "⁠gAuLeS⁠" Chiqueta' stream that he had been "treated like trash" by the Immortals Gaming Club, MIBR's parent company, and questioned whether the North American organisation was really interested in keeping the lineup.

"I cannot disregard our collective and individual performances and accept a 75 per cent devaluation for a contract renewal," kNgV- said. "That goes against what I believe is right.

"Sometimes in life, things don't go as planned, but perhaps that is the destiny of a winning team. For this and for other reasons, I inform that I have benched myself and that I have a project with six players with cogu, LUCAS1 and HEN1."

kNgV- joined MIBR in September 2019 and took the team's reins a year later, just weeks before the organisation removed Fernando "⁠fer⁠" Alvarenga, Epitacio "⁠TACO⁠" de Melo and coach Ricardo "⁠dead⁠" Sinigaglia, with Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo then stepping down from the roster in protest against the decision.

kNgV- also said that he did not agree with the lineup changed but stayed on and put together a team for the BLAST Premier Fall season and Flashpoint 2. The team surpassed expectations and finished 5th-8th in the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown and fourth in Flashpoint 2, posting victories over teams like FURIA, FaZe and OG and restoring the confidence of the fans that had been missing.

"To compete against the best in the world in such a short amount of time is something that not many have been able to do," kNgV- added. "Unfortunately, we could not reach an agreement, and I can say that the problem was never about money. The lack of dialogue and interest led to the outcome we did not want.

"I took on a lot of responsibilities as the leader of the team, I put together a support staff to help the team and help me in my new role as captain. I was hired for a normal player role, then took on a new, harder role and I gave my best."

Alencar "⁠trk⁠" Rossato, the only remaining player in the starting lineup, has not yet stated whether he will ask to be benched. MIBR are slated to compete in the BLAST Premier Spring Series, which will kick off on February 4.