Astralis told BLAST br0 "is unfit to play" for emergency sub; IGLs threaten to skip media day in protest

Teams are rallying behind the scenes to pile pressure on BLAST for allowing Astralis an emergency substitution.

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Update 10:00 : BLAST responds

In a response to inquiry, BLAST said the following: "Astralis declared that br0 was unfit to play in the Fall Final. We aren't able to reveal further details around this reason due to confidentiality. We have never asked teams for doctors notes as we respect/take teams accounts at face value and always have. We are in the process of seeking further clarification from Astralis on this matter and if we feel it is needed, we will look into sanctions/penalties."

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On the eve of the media day for BLAST Premier Fall Final, Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire, Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken, Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen, and Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer took to X to declare they "might be unfit for BLAST Media tomorrow."

Sources tell HLTV that this phrasing is in specific reference and in protest to what Astralis told BLAST when requesting an emergency substitution for the Danish event, which allowed new signing Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller to take the place of Alexander "⁠br0⁠" Bro despite the roster submission deadline passing three weeks ago.

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Astralis got cadiaN in for the Fall Final on an emergency sub. Was it against the rules?

Astralis reportedly told the tournament organizer that br0 "is unfit to play" rather than informing them specifically of a medical or health issue, two of the primary examples outlined in the tournament's rulebook for justifying an emergency substitution as "decided by BLAST on a case by case basis in its sole discretion."

The reasoning is also not in line with BLAST's emailed statement to teams attending the Fall Final about the substitution, which stated that an emergency addition to Astralis' roster had been approved "due to a medical emergency." A player being "unfit to play" does not explicitly imply a medical issue.

The Danish tournament organizer, contacted by HLTV for our previous report, also stated: "The medical substitute ruling used by Astralis here is in line with previous events. We will continue to monitor the wider rule after every event."

HLTV understands that the posts from the in-game leaders of FaZe, Liquid, Vitality, and Falcons — four out of eight teams attending the Fall Final — are not simply in jest as, after organizations tried and failed to protest BLAST's decision, players are taking matters into their own hands.

BLAST Fall Final is scheduled to begin on September 25, leaving BLAST little time to respond. HLTV reached out to the tournament organizer for comment but did not hear back at the time of publishing. This article will be updated if and when a statement is received.