FUT coach András “coolio” Fercsák has asked Valve to grant exceptions to Álvaro “SunPayus” García and Nikita “cmtry” Samolotov. He made the request in a post on X. The exceptions would make both players eligible for the Singapore Major with their respective teams.
The case is interesting because it shows how a single match can decide who goes to a Major. Coolio also claims that FUT could have manipulated a result to meet the requirements, but chose not to.
How the Roster Problem Started
FUT were eliminated in the quarter-finals of PGL Masters Bucharest after a 2-0 loss to Nemiga. That was only SunPayus’ fourth official match for FUT since he arrived from G2 at the start of the month. As a result, he is one match short of the requirement to join the team’s VRS roster.
Meanwhile, cmtry plays for Astralis, but he remains on FUT’s VRS roster. Therefore, another team cannot register him.
What Coolio Asked Valve to Change
In his post, coolio said FUT went 2-0 at PGL Bucharest and could have manipulated the outcome against Vitality to meet the requirements. However, the team chose competitive integrity instead. He added that both players deserve an exception and that rules should never punish players for doing the right thing.
Coolio also pointed to Vitality’s Dan “apEX” Madesclaire. According to him, apEX is missing out on a Major sticker because he became a father and could not attend one event. Justinas “jL” Lekavičius will get the sticker instead. Coolio said he has nothing against jL, but he asked how this makes sense.
Why Astralis Cannot Fix It Alone
FUT have no more matches before the November 2 invite cut-off. For this reason, cmtry stays on their VRS roster. SunPayus can still play for FUT in Singapore as a substitute, but he will not be eligible for a sticker.
Astralis have only one realistic hope. FUT would need to enter an open LAN, such as EPIC 49 in Kettering. Then SunPayus could play a fifth match and join the VRS roster, which would free cmtry. So far, FUT have given no sign that they plan to do so.
In addition, Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard returned to Astralis on Tuesday for the rest of Stake Ranked Episode 5. This move stops cmtry from playing a fifth match for Astralis before the cut-off.
The rules also work against Astralis. When a player is on two VRS rosters, only the higher-ranked team gets a Major invite. That team would be FUT, who sit three places above Astralis in the Europe VRS.
Two Sides of the Debate
The request has divided part of the community. Some people say the situation is FUT’s own fault, because the team could have signed up for more events to reach the required number of matches. Others argue that Valve has already made an exception for BC.Game, so it could do the same for these players.
What Happens Next
According to coolio’s post on X, the situation affects two teams at once. FUT may take SunPayus to Singapore only as a substitute without a sticker. Astralis cannot use cmtry because he is tied to FUT’s VRS roster.
The next step now depends on Valve. If the company does not change its decision, the only way to solve the problem before November 2 is for FUT to enter an open LAN such as EPIC 49. For now, the team has not announced such a plan. Until Valve responds, the Major status of both players stays uncertain.
