A financial dispute between Monte and several of its former players has spilled into public view. Bymas, once the core of Monte’s roster, accused the Ukrainian organization of owing him a significant amount of money. Soon after, his former teammates joined in with their own statements, turning a quiet backstage issue into an open conversation the whole Counter-Strike community is now following.
The story stands out because these players did not just quietly move on to Luminosity Gaming this summer. Instead, they are now speaking publicly about what they say happened behind the scenes before they left.
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From A Quiet Transfer To A Public Dispute
Bymas, afro and AZUWU joined Luminosity as free agents once their Monte contracts expired, while Rainwaker moved over through a buyout. The transfers looked routine at the time. However, the players’ recent comments suggest the process behind the scenes was far from smooth.
AZUWU gave the fullest account of what led to the move:
Sad that it came to this, but it is a relief for this to finally be brought to light, the hate from the community was seriously extreme, We had multiple delayed payments, our contracts were expiring and on top of that, I never even received a draft of a contract extension, only a verbal proposal to prolong until the end of year on the exact same terms as when i first joined Monte. I hope you guys will pay all of us the amounts we are due before you sign your new team. A huge thank you to Luminosity for believing in us and taking all of the hate from the community while we waited to see if Monte would pay up.
Teammates Add Their Own Accounts
Afro asked fans to reconsider their criticism of the transfer, laying out his own perspective in full:
To everyone that criticized the moves the decisions this and that I recommend to read this one and make your assumptions after it. I respect Monte for the time we spent in the org and the energy and the trust they gave to us. Lately they’ve been very disrespectful and it’s sad because business is business and everyone in this ecosystem should be smart enough to understand our motivations and the reasons that made us take the decision to sign with LG. I feel very sorry for the Ukrainian fan-base that was showing incredible support to the team and I want to thank you guys for the energy given to us. Much love to Aurimas and to all the old Monte players. Our journey was more than just gaming. We created friendship together and it will remain.
Rainwaker’s message was shorter, but it echoed Bymas directly:
Totally agree with Bymas. It sucks that it had to become public, but same here, I still haven’t received any of the prize pool for my time with Monte.
Not everyone from the old roster shares that experience. KrasnaL, who left Monte in December 2024, offered a very different account: “This is crazy, because I didn’t have any problems with Monte. They paid me every last fucking dollar.” His words mean he never had issues with Monte and that the club paid him in full.
Well, Krasnal (who played for Monte for 2.5 years) said that everything was okay with him financially. pic.twitter.com/mTLoXiCqqm
— Магатма Ґанді (@nuke_gandhi) August 26, 2026
Two other figures tied to the former roster have stayed quiet. Gizmy, the ex-captain who has since moved on, has not commented, and neither has coach Kakufu, who followed several of his old players to Luminosity.
Monte Responds To The Allegations
HLTV reached out to Monte directly for comment, and the organization pushed back on the accusations:
Those who violated the terms of their contracts were fined. The claims about ‘tens of thousands of dollars’ are simply a complete lie. As for the new sticker system, we can argue about it for a long time. But saying that we owe them the stickers isn’t accurate either. It really depends on how you look at it — who actually owes whom. And regarding payment delays — yes, they did happen, but they were not caused by us. There were delays with transfer payments, sponsorship payments, etc. Everyone was always informed about the situation, and none of the players ever personally told me that they were unhappy or had any complaints.
Why It Matters
This dispute puts a spotlight on how CS2 organizations handle player pay during roster transitions. Four former Monte players have now spoken publicly about delayed payments and unclear contract terms, while one teammate says his own experience was the opposite. Monte, for its part, insists the claims are exaggerated and blames external delays. With Luminosity’s new roster already under pressure after a winless start, this financial disagreement adds another storyline for fans to watch as the team looks ahead to its next competitive test.
