fnatic bench Golden as they enter rebuilding phase

The Swedish side has opted for radical changes following a period full of measly results.

fnatic have announced the benching of Maikil "⁠Golden⁠" Selim, which sees the organization "begin a rebuilding process" as they look to change in-game leadership in the team moving forward. The move follows a series of miserable placings from the Swedish side dating back to the beginning of 2021.

More roster adjustments beyond the former leader's benching could be on the horizon for the team now ranked 38th in the world, with the announcement stating that the organization will be "announcing additional changes" to the lineup.

"Maikil is certainly the friendliest and best teammate in the scene, but the recent results have not lived up to the standards we expect from the team," fnatic's coach, Andreas "⁠Samuelsson⁠" Samuelsson, has explained. "That's why we're looking to turn the page and begin our rebuilding process with new in-game leadership. You can expect more news from the Fnatic camp in the near future to bring us back where we belong."

Golden's departure from the active roster hardly comes as a surprise after it became clear that he and the rest of the team had not been playing together for the past month following their last match on record against Ninjas in Pyjamas in early June, which saw fnatic exit IEM Summer in last place.

The elimination marked the Swedish team's fourth early exit in as many tier-one tournaments dating back to February, in which they only won one in eleven matches while they also competed in a few tournaments in the Snow Sweet Snow and Spring Sweet Spring series with little success.

The 27-year-old leaves the active lineup following a nearly two years long second stint with fnatic, with the most successful phase in his tenure coming shortly after his arrival, as the Swedes picked up two trophies and made three more finals in a span of six months in late 2019-early 2020. He previously competed under the black-and-orange banner in 2017-2018 before he was removed the first time, making room for William "⁠draken⁠" Sundin.

fnatic's lineup looks as follows after Golden has been placed on the bench:

Jesper "⁠JW⁠" Wecksell
Freddy "⁠KRIMZ⁠" Johansson
Ludvig "⁠Brollan⁠" Brolin
Jack "⁠Jackinho⁠" Ström Mattsson

Andreas "⁠Samuelsson⁠" Samuelsson (coach)

Maikil "⁠Golden⁠" Selim (benched)
Peppe "⁠Peppzor⁠" Borak (substitute)