Passion UA promised Rolex watches after reaching the Budapest Major’s Stage 2. Instead, former players are now reportedly waiting for up to $600,000 in unpaid money as the organization appears close to collapse.
The story matters because Passion UA was not an ordinary Counter-Strike project. It launched as a Ukrainian esports organization backed publicly by Arsenal footballer Oleksandr “Zinchenko” Zinchenko. Three years later, the team has been released, employees are searching for work, and the project’s former public face has stepped away.
From Ukrainian Dream to International Ambition
Passion UA began with a strong national identity. Its first Counter-Strike roster consisted entirely of Ukrainian players and qualified for the Shanghai Major.
The team reached the event after beating Virtus.pro, Spirit and Astralis at the Europe RMR. Before the Major, CEO Artemijs Rjabovs said the players had signed long-term contracts.
Zinchenko supported the project publicly from its early days. In 2023, he said Passion UA was born from his love of gaming and his wish to develop esports in Ukraine. Zinchenko said this:
I am committed to building a world-class esports organization that will stand tall among the giants of the industry
However, the original lineup soon began to change. Two players were replaced at the start of 2025, while Dmytro “jambo” Semera joined fnatic two months later.
In August 2025, Passion UA released the entire roster. The organization then changed its direction completely.
Complexity Core Raised the Stakes
Passion UA signed Complexity’s core of Johnny “JT” Theodosiou, Håkon “hallzerk” Fjærli, Michael “Grim” Wince and Nick “nicx” Lee.
The players reunited with head coach Tiaan “T.c” Coertzen. He had joined Passion UA four months earlier. Luca “Munstur” Ioanițiu came in as assistant coach, while Vladyslav “Kvem” Korol returned to the active roster.
The move gave Passion UA a more experienced international lineup. It also increased the organization’s costs and raised expectations.
The team qualified for the Budapest Major’s Stage 2 as the fourth-highest-ranked Americas side. It finished behind FURIA, paiN and MIBR in the regional rankings.
Rjabovs promised Rolex watches to the five players, T.c and Munstur if they reached Stage 2. Passion UA later reached Stage 3, but lost to eventual runners-up FaZe after two 13-11 maps.
The Major run should have been a turning point. Instead, it became the source of the organization’s biggest alleged debt.
Budapest Major Revenue Goes Missing
Passion UA reportedly made around $618,000 from Budapest Major digital items as a Stage 2 team. Former players allegedly never received their share of the team item revenue.
The players reportedly started asking questions as early as January. They had received the second installment of individual sticker money, but the organization’s share had not been distributed.
Rjabovs reportedly said the delay was connected to opening a new bank account in Dubai. The company was also said to be planning a move from the United Kingdom to Dubai.
Concerns were not limited to sticker money. Hotel payments were sometimes not made in advance, while flights could be booked at the last minute.
Hotel check-outs were also reportedly arranged for the final day of events. This created additional pressure for players during tournaments. Here’s what one of the sources said:
You walk into the room, and you can hear people saying, like, ‘When are we getting our prize money? When are we getting our watches? Have you guys been paid your salary for this month?’
The source added that players cannot be fully focused on competition when those concerns remain in the background. The promised Rolex watches were never mentioned again.
Financial Problems Affect Transfers
Passion UA later replaced hallzerk and Grim with Santino “try” Rigal from Imperial and Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold on loan from The MongolZ.
The timing hurt the team. Try and Senzu had different styles from the players they replaced. They also had limited experience communicating in English.
Senzu missed Roman Imperium Cup V because of personal circumstances. Grim therefore had to stand in despite being removed from the lineup.
Grim later joined NRG. However, Complexity reportedly intervened because it had not received the full amount for the transfer of its former core to Passion UA.
Passion UA paid part of the outstanding fee. NRG paid the rest directly to Complexity and deducted the amount from Grim’s buyout.
The team then failed to qualify for the Cologne Major. Passion UA lost to Sangal in the Urban Riga Open Season 4 grand final before the April 6 cut-off.
It later attended IEM Rio with Justin “FaNg” Coakley standing in for Senzu. FRAG 20 became Senzu’s final event with Passion UA before he moved to BC.Game.
The organization also withdrew from BC Game Masters Championship Season 2. The decision sent the roster down the rankings.
Soon after, Passion UA became open to offers for its players. The organization reportedly considered selling JT and try before rebuilding.
Instead, the company’s deeper financial problems reportedly emerged internally. Every employee was then dismissed.
Zinchenko Steps Away From Project
Zinchenko announced on June 23 that he was ending his cooperation with Passion UA. He said he had been a media partner rather than a financial decision-maker.
Throughout the entire existence of the organization, I did not receive a single cent from it, nor did I make any financial investments.
He added that his contribution was his image rights and public role. Zinchenko also said he had no control over the company’s finances.
However, his description differed from Passion UA’s previous public messaging. Rjabovs had repeatedly presented Zinchenko as part of important decisions.
In a February interview, Rjabovs said Passion UA operated through a group involving himself, Zinchenko, T.c and JT. He also said Zinchenko helped convince try to join the organization.
Zinchenko was also directly involved with the team. In an August 2025 recording, he criticized the previous roster after a heavy loss to BIG in the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 closed qualifier.
Two days later, Passion UA benched three players and released two others. That move cleared the way for the Complexity core signing.
Filings and Liquidation Fears
Passion UA’s website still listed Zinchenko as a “team owner” more than a month after he left. Zinchenko has said he was never a legal owner.
United Kingdom Companies House filings show that Zinchenko gave up significant control in the company on May 10, 2025. Another filing shows Rjabovs later held 75% or more of the company’s shares.
Both documents were submitted on May 18, 2026. That was one year after the recorded change and on the same day the organization ended its season early.
Zinchenko said the filings were incorrect. He stated that ownership language was part of the project’s public positioning and intended to attract sponsors and partners.
Several sources expect Passion UA to enter liquidation. The organization reportedly owes its former Counter-Strike roster between $500,000 and $600,000.
The biggest part of that figure is reportedly Budapest Major sticker revenue. Valve did not respond to requests for comment.
What Passion UA Leaves Behind
The reported financial problems, unpaid Budapest Major revenue and the possible liquidation of Passion UA were first revealed by HLTV. The outlet spoke to several people familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
Passion UA was created as a project that could represent Ukrainian esports on a larger stage. However, its final months have been defined by unpaid money, failed transfers and broken promises. The roster has been released, employees are looking for new work, and former players are still waiting for answers over the money they are reportedly owed.
