A controversy erupted on the very first day of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 — and it wasn’t the matches that drew attention, but the referees, whose uniforms featured huge partner logos placed by the organizers. The move immediately triggered a wave of criticism from insiders, tournament admins, and parts of the professional scene.
The scandal begins — Marcus Mod’s tweets
The issue was first raised by well-known tournament administrator Marcus “Mod645” Mod, who bluntly stated:
Admins the next major pic.twitter.com/UKdV5f5NBb
— Marcus Mod (@Mod645) November 24, 2025
The post gathered thousands of views and instantly raised ethical concerns: if admins already receive low pay as an industry norm, is it acceptable to turn them into mobile advertising platforms?
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“Walking ad”: instant community backlash
Under another tweet containing a photo of referees wearing shirts with a massive Rollbit logo, the discussion only intensified. Notable scene members responded sharply. Janka “JanicKa” Vorčáková, StarLadder’s head referee and one of the company’s key public faces, wrote:
It’s actually insane shit. Walking ad. Hopefully other TO’s will not take it as opportunity on their events.
In fact, a representative of the organization publicly criticized her own management’s decision. Graham Pitt, former BLAST tournament operations manager, added:
Refs were getting good money pre-COVID. I imagine the experienced guys are still doing alright, but this… especially for such a long event — questionable.
Compensation became a central point of the criticism: if referee pay is already modest, placing advertisements on their shirts looks like an attempt to offset budgets at their expense.
What exactly outraged people?
All major complaints boil down to three points:
1. The logo is disproportionately large
The referee shirt features one giant brand logo without any Major-themed design. Marcus Mod elaborated:
I could understand if all partners were on it, and it was major-themed… But now it’s just a referee text and one partner logo that is bigger.
2. It sets a dangerous precedent
The community fears other tournament organizers may adopt the practice, effectively turning referees into advertising carriers.
3. It appears disrespectful toward admin labor
Low referee pay has long been a known issue. Critics now say they are being used to display extra sponsor inventory.
Why does this matter especially at a Major?
A Major is CS2’s highest-tier event, setting standards for years to come. Any new practice introduced here risks becoming the norm for other organizers. Analysts already compare the situation to:
- branded USB sticks appearing on stage in 2018
- sponsor graffiti added to maps
- commercialized in-match camera areas
But for the first time ever, tournament staff themselves became advertising space.
StarLadder remains silent for now
At the time of publication, the organizer has not issued an official statement. However, the fact that the decision was publicly condemned by the company’s own head referee has only amplified the backlash.
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What’s next?
The controversy may affect:
- the future referee uniform for this very Major
- Valve’s stance on standardizing referee apparel
- how other TOs behave, as many are closely watching the reaction
But one thing is already clear: StarLadder has introduced one of the strangest ideas in Major history — and the community is not accepting it.
