Cloud9 CEO shuts down NAVI Junior rumor

The North American organization has been linked with a move for the young European team.

Jack Etienne denied rumors of a bid for NAVI Junior

Cloud9 co-founder and CEO Jack Etienne has knocked back speculation linking his organization with NAVI Junior, one of the hottest academy teams in the scene.

"This is a false rumor, " Etienne wrote on Cloud9's subreddit. "Sorry, guys."

Etienne's comment came after French streamer Sebastien "⁠KRL⁠" Perez claimed on his stream that NAVI Junior could be sold to Cloud9 in the summer. KRL also shared rumors of potential changes from other teams, including G2, Spirit and Natus Vincere.

After selling four players and releasing another during the winter off-season, Cloud9 announced in February that they were taking a step back from Counter-Strike with no immediate plans to return. The last player on the roster, Ilya "⁠Perfecto⁠" Zalutskiy, was released in April.

Read more
NAVI Junior win second CCT in a row with win over NIP

NAVI Junior are currently ranked 27th in the VRS after a sensational season that saw them win four titles: YaLLa Compass Spring, Thunderpick World Championship 2025 European Series 1, and back-to-back CCT Season 3 Europe Series.

According to KRL, Drin "⁠makazze⁠" Shaqiri could be promoted to NAVI's main team this summer. After Natus Vincere's elimination from the Austin Major in the quarter-finals, Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen all but confirmed that changes are on the way. "I think something is going to happen after this," he said after the loss to Vitality. "We just have to wait and see."

Kosovo Drin 'makazze' Shaqiri
Drin 'makazze' Shaqiri
Age:
18
Team:
Rating 1.0:
1.05
Maps played:
390
KPR:
0.75
DPR:
0.71
Russia Ilya 'Perfecto' Zalutskiy
Ilya 'Perfecto' Zalutskiy
Age:
25
Team:
No team
Rating 1.0:
0.99
Maps played:
995
KPR:
0.63
DPR:
0.60
France Sebastien 'KRL' Perez
Sebastien 'KRL' Perez
Age:
36
Team:
No team
Rating 1.0:
0.62
Maps played:
25
KPR:
0.45
DPR:
0.79
Finland Aleksi 'Aleksib' Virolainen
Aleksi 'Aleksib' Virolainen
Age:
28
Rating 1.0:
0.93
Maps played:
1459
KPR:
0.62
DPR:
0.65
Couldn't imagine a better confirmation
2025-06-24 21:47
226
8 replies
KRL in shambles
2025-06-24 21:49
74
7 replies
I really don't see why HLTV would post this outside of "Short:" unless they also confirmed krL's rumour and want to clown on the CEO when the move officially happens.
2025-06-24 21:51
9
5 replies
#17
Faceit level 7  | 
 | 
United Kingdom zt3x
Or clown on KRL, dudes a clown when he streams anyways
2025-06-24 21:55
26
3 replies
I don't care about krl outside french/falcons, but didn't harumi start the c9 rumor? Maybe krl was just reporting.
2025-06-24 23:33
0
2 replies
#55
ropz | 
Japan asyl1m
I think so too. But it does not matter, both are trash.
2025-06-25 04:04
0
#59
ropz | 
Japan asyl1m
x.com/_harum1/status/1933102699953688758 harumi reported it june 12 but as a "insider" and "leaker" you can't just present claims made by other people as a leak.
2025-06-25 07:10
0
#20
 | 
United States PlankCS
It's an official statement from the CEO of one of the biggest orgs in esports. Obviously the rumor has grown enough to where it needed a response so I think that's why
2025-06-24 21:56
29
harumi cosplay
2025-06-25 01:38
0
#2
 | 
India Pranav3112
Oh no, anyways
2025-06-24 21:47
24
#3
 | 
United States JoeJoe860
Probably for the best. They held Perfecto in contract hell. I doubt NAVI jr would have been any different lol
2025-06-24 21:47
38
3 replies
It's hardly hell to receive 50% of your pay for doing nothing. Mainly Perfecto's ego kept him there. He's not good enough for top teams and he incorrectly thinks GUN5 is beneath him. Now probably he just prays someone is dropped from VP and he gets lucky but if I was them I'd take someone from NaVi Junior over him still
2025-06-25 08:49
2
2 replies
2025-06-25 12:43
0
1 reply
No surprise people wouldn't want to be screamed at on live streams in front of 1m people by bot electronic
2025-06-25 21:56
0
C9 will sign Astralis's team instead except for stabbi
2025-06-24 21:47
11
5 replies
watch KCorp buy Astralis for giggles like they did in League
2025-06-24 22:01
2
1 reply
Well they definitely didn’t but the LEC spot for giggles lmao
2025-06-25 11:43
1
#40
Faceit plus user Faceit level 10 Old school: User been here for more than 10 years  | 
 | 
Poland Astoner55
The whole Astralis roster with Hooxi looked super good, C9 buying the team now would be their best roster decision since getting together the major-winning lineup in late 2017
2025-06-24 23:35
1
2 replies
#54
Faceit level 10 Old school: User been here for more than 10 years  | 
Denmark zaider
more like investing in a stock at it highest and realizing it when it's already too late
2025-06-25 02:50
0
1 reply
#62
Faceit plus user Faceit level 10 Old school: User been here for more than 10 years  | 
 | 
Poland Astoner55
Can't agree with You mate, Hooxi is a very good IGL and he injected cohesion into the whole roster when they played, the players finally knew what they're supposed to be doing and it looked really promising, we can "hatewatch" and "hatemaxx" for the memes but the unbiased truth is that Staehr, Device, Stavn and Jabbi are all fucking great players who showed multiple times that they're world class, just because of a worse stint yall seem to be forgetting that? In half a year if this roster sticks together they can easily be top10
2025-06-25 10:03
0
#5
 | 
United States post_poster
I didn't know junior was going to replace w0nderful
2025-06-24 21:47
6
1 reply
huh??
2025-06-24 23:29
0
#6
 | 
Finland FlaMax_CSGO
your loss buddy!
2025-06-24 21:48
5
KRL :(
2025-06-24 21:48
1
#8
 | 
Russia moonEEK!
Don’t worry guys he will change his mind now that mang0 is gone
2025-06-24 21:49
1
Damn. KRL catching strays not only from other leakers for that, but also CEOs now
2025-06-24 21:49
8
2 replies
This means that there is a high chance that all of his other leaks today are also false.
2025-06-24 21:50
24
1 reply
and what are those?
2025-06-24 23:27
0
This is basically a confirmation
2025-06-24 21:50
0
1 reply
#48
 | 
Ukraine zhvchnskiy
Or the deal is off because navi want makazze in main team and C9 obviously will be denying any plans to buy navi jr
2025-06-25 00:52
1
#12
 | 
Russia TEMHOMECTO
KRL wrong again (expected)
2025-06-24 21:50
2
#14
 | 
Brazil MSS1822
KRL only has true information about the Falcons
2025-06-24 21:51
1
1 reply
first time seeing this flair
2025-06-25 00:29
0
#16
Faceit level 10  | 
1eeR | 
Russia art_art
Overdrive also said KRL's leaks on spirit are nonsense. Is it a common thing for KRL? Or he's usually right?
2025-06-24 21:52
2
7 replies
Usually right, and OverDrive is literally salaried by Spirit, so his words are worth nothing
2025-06-24 21:55
26
He's usually right. But in the past he was mostly leaking on french scene shenanigans, most of his correct information is connected to Vitality, at least that's from my perspective
2025-06-24 21:57
10
3 replies
twistzz?
2025-06-24 23:26
0
2 replies
#60
 | 
France CaesarXV
iirc Apex once confirmed that they tried to recruit Twistzz, but he denied in the last steps
2025-06-25 07:43
3
1 reply
chicken
2025-06-25 13:20
0
He's mostly right, and when he wasn't, he warned it wasn't 100% confirmed beforehand (like the vitality twistzz leak where he said it was on its way but people decided to remember "100% done" instead). He leaked vitality's international move, Niko to falcons, spinx to vitality, tensions with spinx inside vitality, wasink leaving 3DMax (mostly french info as you can notice) Not sure how he got so much info from teams he usually doesn't have sources in though.
2025-06-24 22:35
4
1 reply
#47
Faceit level 10  | 
1eeR | 
Russia art_art
Thanks for such a detailed answer!
2025-06-25 00:45
1
please just sign a fucking roster
2025-06-24 21:55
9
1 reply
your flair may never have a CS roster again after failures
2025-06-24 21:58
4
NAVI Junior still needs a home, these young people have potential.
2025-06-24 21:57
4
1 reply
makazze to Navi main
2025-06-24 21:59
1
#23
 | 
Ukraine knax3xx
For a while, G2 said this about monesy
2025-06-24 21:58
5
1 reply
difference was after a while they didn't have a choice, it was either sell him or lose him for nothing
2025-06-24 22:43
0
Lol
2025-06-24 22:08
0
Expected from French fraudster
2025-06-24 22:26
0
#30
 | 
Spain Trujasmich
Iberian Soul —> Cloud9 or Iberian Soul —> KOI again?
2025-06-24 22:29
0
#33
Old school: User been here for more than 10 years  | 
NEO | 
Poland ScR1337
If makazze will be promoted, they became just ok team so I dont think that anyone will sign them
2025-06-24 23:05
3
1 reply
that would mean makazze promotion is safe which it really isnt, not even at all lol
2025-06-24 23:25
0
shutting down a rumor usually means that its true/happening and they just desperately wanna create a situation where it comes as a surprise again lmao
2025-06-24 23:25
1
when will clown 9 learn, if they have no fans they are nothing. Just sign an NA team and build them up instead of fishing around.
2025-06-24 23:37
1
2 replies
wdym they have no fans?
2025-06-25 10:40
1
1 reply
compare c9 rn to c9 when they had their NA roster, not even the major winning roster, the roster with n0thing and shroud
2025-06-25 18:25
0
#43
 | 
Korea syjeon
Another month, another hope of C9 coming back being crushed
2025-06-25 00:11
0
so it's happening
2025-06-25 00:21
0
jack etienne been washed for a while now
2025-06-25 00:24
0
who tf believe in KRL anyway ? such an attention whore.
2025-06-25 00:58
0
Sign Mongolz, ez
2025-06-25 00:59
0
most credible KRL "leak"
2025-06-25 01:02
0
Krl is the shame of French cs. They just acheived the best and he reminds us the worst. Such a toxic wannabe
2025-06-25 02:35
0
#56
Faceit level 10  | 
zont1x | 
Germany The_Truth
c9 should buy donk and a 3 man core and build around him and donk should awp
2025-06-25 04:10
0
RIP C9 Colossus
2025-06-25 06:03
0
NAVI Junior needs a home
2025-06-25 07:06
0
He denied it because makazze stays with navi so the deal fell out
2025-06-25 11:09
0
almost scammed again
2025-06-25 12:41
0
xd 322 junior with this serbian fixers plz c9 not waste ur money
2025-06-25 14:05
1
#70
Faceit level 10 Old school: User been here for more than 10 years  | 
France Sinj_Gracieux
Either you sell the whole team to C9 or you promote makazze to the main roster, but you obviously can't do both
2025-06-25 15:49
0
#72
 | 
Fiji Henpai
better not come back this tag is cursed after fluke
2025-06-25 20:32
0
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