FURIA co-owner Akkari: "The moment requires changes, and they will be done"

Repeated group stage exits at the biggest events have FURIA staring down the barrel of changes.

FURIA co-owner and co-CEO André Akkari has commented on the future of the organization's Counter-Strike roster after their latest group stage exit from IEM Chengdu, acknowledging for the third time in as many months that a solution is needed for their situation.

"FURIA's moment in CS requires changes, and they will be done, [in] the smartest and possible way we can, and in [the] short-term," Akkari said in a post on X.

"We never ran away from change. When it doesn't happen, it's for two reasons: We don't want to change, or it's not possible due to dates, market availability, or money. There was never any protection for someone. What stopped changes from happening were solely the reasons listed."

Akkari's statement comes mere hours after FURIA's group stage elimination at IEM Chengdu, where the team was one round away from making the playoffs, couldn't convert the win, and suffered losses to MOUZ and HEROIC to exit the tournament.

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The result adds to a poor start to the year for the star-studded Brazilian roster, who were eliminated in the Play-in stage of IEM Katowice, faltered against domestic competition in the IEM Dallas South America qualifier, and couldn't qualify for BLAST Spring Showdown after failure in two European qualifiers. The latter result was followed by Akkari stating that FURIA would "look for the best solutions" for their losses.

The team showed some promise heading into PGL Major Copenhagen after a flawless run through the Americas RMR, and despite best-of-one losses to Lynn Vision and Legacy OCE, FURIA advanced through the Opening Stage of the Major with three 2-0 victories.

However, an 0-3 exit from the Elimination Stage, including a series loss to ECSTATIC, quickly soured that recovery run and prompted another statement from Akkari where he thanked fans "who ask for changes in a healthy or passionate way" and assured that they are "watching to see what happens."

FURIA had hoped the addition of Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo and Marcelo "⁠chelo⁠" Cespedes in July 2023 could elevate them to consistent title contenders, but save for a trophy lift at Elisa Masters Espoo, the Brazilian lineup has continued to flounder at the biggest competitions. Repeated leadership swaps between FalleN and Andrei "⁠arT⁠" Piovezan have also drawn criticism, while concerns about the team wasting the prime of Kaike "⁠KSCERATO⁠" Cerato have persisted throughout the changes as FURIA continues to hunt for a solution.

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When contacted by HLTV for further details regarding Akkari's statements, FURIA co-CEO Jaime Padua declined to comment on the basis of protecting the team and staff, simply stating that they would have "further info in the following days."