A loud conflict has erupted in the esports community around the organization kONO, which is co-owned by the well-known Ukrainian footballer Yevhen Konoplyanka. The player keoz publicly accused the club of blackmail, pressure, and failure to pay the salary guaranteed by contract, while the organization’s management issued an official response, stating that all financial obligations had been fulfilled properly.
keoz published a series of posts
The situation gained public attention after keoz published a series of posts on social media in which he described his version of events in detail. According to him, his attempt to contact the club regarding the delayed salary turned not into dialogue, but into pressure, threats, and attempts at discreditation. At the same time, statements from other former players appeared in the public space, supporting his position and reporting similar problems in their interactions with the organization.
In response, the CEO of kONO, Oleh Shustenko, published an official statement in which he denied most of the accusations and emphasized that the club acted within the framework of contracts and the law, and that the financial situation surrounding keoz was more complex than presented in public statements.
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keoz’s position: accusations of contract violation and blackmail
According to keoz, the organization did not pay him the salary for December that was guaranteed by contract, despite clearly specified payment deadlines. He stresses that he demanded only the minimum amount stipulated in the agreement, without any additional conditions or bonuses.
The player stated that instead of fulfilling financial obligations, he received pressure, threats, and attempts at discreditation. In particular, after insisting on the salary payment, he was allegedly informed about “anonymous information” accusing him of match-fixing and was offered to take a polygraph test. keoz emphasizes that these accusations appeared only after the club violated the contract and considers this an attempt to avoid making the payments.
He separately noted that integrity investigations in esports have clear procedures and cannot be used as a tool for pressure or for delaying payments. In his opinion, even hypothetical suspicions do not cancel existing financial obligations to the player.
Testimonies of other players and the reputational background
Several former players of the organization supported keoz and stated that not only financial conflicts, but also psychological pressure took place within kONO. According to them, threats and intimidation methods were used in internal disputes, going beyond ordinary contractual disagreements.
These statements significantly intensified the resonance around the situation and moved the conflict into the realm not only of a financial, but also of a reputational scandal for the organization and its co-owners.
kONO’s position: the CEO’s response and the organization’s version
In his official address, the CEO of kONO, Oleh Shustenko, emphasized that the organization had always fulfilled its financial and contractual obligations to players. He stated that information about an alleged refusal to pay salaries or phrases about the “insignificance of the amount” did not correspond to reality.
According to the club’s version, the situation looked different: keoz had a financial debt to the organization that should have been settled several months earlier. It was with these mutual settlements in mind that a format was proposed under which the full salary payment would take place in the last month of the year. Moreover, according to the CEO, this format was agreed upon at the initiative of the player himself.
Shustenko also stressed that the phrase about the “insignificance of the amount” was taken out of context from private communication and did not mean any unwillingness to fulfill financial obligations. The organization, according to him, is not interested in illegally withholding funds, but debt obligations remain debt obligations regardless of their origin.
Integrity check and the issue of reputation
kONO also separately commented on the situation regarding the so-called integrity check. The statement emphasized that a request to undergo an integrity review is a standard procedure in esports and is not a form of accusation. According to the management, it was clearly stated in the message to keoz that there were no conclusions or accusations against him at that time, and that the check itself was preventive in nature.
The organization also stated that it does not accept ultimatums, pressure, or reputational threats, and resolves all disputed issues exclusively within the framework of contracts and the legal field.
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Reputational scandal
The conflict between keoz and the organization kONO has transformed from a financial dispute into a full-fledged reputational scandal. On one side, the player and several former roster members speak about systemic pressure, blackmail, and attempts to avoid payments. On the other side, the club’s management insists that all obligations were fulfilled, and that the situation is the result of complex mutual financial settlements and phrases taken out of context.
At present, this confrontation remains at the level of public statements, and its further development will likely move into the legal domain. For the entire scene, this is yet another example of how critically important transparent contracts, clear financial reporting, and professional communication between players and organizations truly are.
