groove leaves management position in Gambit to focus on coaching *

After splitting his duties as the coach and sporting director, the 39-year-old is set to focus on standing behind the CS:GO team.

Update: A mistaken reference to MTS was corrected - it is not a state-run company.

Gambit have announced that Konstantin "⁠groove⁠" Pikiner has left his position as the organization's sporting director, a role he had transitioned into in 2018 after leaving his post as the CEO.

According to the statement, the 39-year-old will soon focus solely on coaching after he spent the last year and a half standing behind his CS:GO team all the while fulfilling his role in the management.

"For the last year and a half [groove] has devoted enormous amount of time to coaching and shortly he will focus solely on it," the statement reads. "The organisation has got the experienced sport management team, which will continue operating smoothly."

The news of the Russian's departure from the director position comes just a little over 24 hours after CIS insider Aleksei "⁠OverDrive⁠" Birukov claimed on Tuesday that Gambit's lineup is currently on sale.

The report followed ESL's decision to ban Gambit from the ongoing ESL Pro League Season 15 due to "ties to the Russian government" and BLAST's pledge not to invite Russia-based teams to their tournaments amid Russia's invasion into Ukraine.

Gambit is owned by MTS, the largest Russian telecommunications provider whose ultimate ownership leads to Vladimir Yevtushenkov, a Russian oligarch named on the 'Putin list.'

The lineup around Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov was allowed to retain its spot in the Düsseldorf tournament under a neutral name — Players —, but it is unclear whether the ban on Gambit as an organization applied to groove given his now-former position as the sporting director.