Fnatic Valorant Team Director Colin ‘CoJo’ Johnson has further explained Fnatic’s decision to drop Milan ‘Milan’ de Meij as the org’s Valorant head coach.
The Fnatic Valorant head responded to “questions” on social media surrounding the decision to let go of the coach who had led Fnatic to EMEA Stage 1 victory, and three international Grand Finals in 2025, dismissing the idea that it was a “panic decision” to remove the coach.
Analysts and Casters question the timing of Milan decision
CoJo was not simply replying to phantoms. Canadian caster, Shayan ‘ShyoWager’ Shehrya, and VCT EMEA’s Tom ‘Tombizz’ Bissmire were amongst those to question the timing of the decision, with Tombizz stating that it “feels like a rash decision.”
Particular subjects of focus were Fnatic’s unfortunate circumstances after Sylvain ‘Veqaj’ Pattyn’s illness interrupted Fnatic’s season, in which they boasted a flawless 5-0 Group Stage run.
Tombizz stated, “Considering the team went 5-0 and then lost to Vitality and Heretics (only just) with a stand-in this feels like a rash decision. Milan got promoted last year, and the team went from bombing out of Kick Off to multiple 2nd places. Hope to see him land on his feet soon…”
“Don’t necessarily think a season of subs and league match domination, in combination with facing leveled up teams in playoffs warrants a change,” added ShyoWager.
The notable Fortnite caster added, “I think the meta would be going towards the Milan ideology as well coming into Stage 2. They just had a few mistakes defensively to fix. Would have loved to see his vision make it to an international this year on FNC.”
That first point was an opinion shared by many community members in reply to the initial announcment. Questions hung over Milan’s adaptability to the 11.08 changes which made the game significantly faster, more Duelist-focussed, and more aggressive.
However, that meta is soon to end as the 13.00 patch promises Initiator and Sentinel buffs, aiming to rebalance the importance of teamplay with individual explosivity.
The slowing down of the game was expected to benefit Fnatic’s playstyle, with Milan and Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett seemingly prioritizing map control, teamplay, and optimal decision-making as core values.
CoJo clarifies decision-making process for Milan benching
Following online discource, CoJo clarified the decision-making process within Fnatic for Milan’s removal, stating that “Decisions are never made without me discussing with every player,” adding, “Roster/staff decisions are almost always made with a minimum of 2-3 review cycles (3 months per cycle normally) worth of feedback.”
The Fnatic Valorant lead rebuffed the concept that the decision resulted from Fnatic’s unfortunate circumstances which saw them miss out on Valorant Masters London qualification.
CoJo stated, “I’m not a dictator or making decisions because we lost a 12-9 and had stand-ins. This Milan decision alone I had 20 hours at least of just me talking with people in the team before anything was decided.”
Finally, reiterating that the decision was not made rashly, stating, “Feel free to blame me for s**t if you want, I don’t mind, but just don’t think this was a panic decision.”
That added context shows that there are more problems within the team that the players feel need to be addressed beyond the roster issues they have faced in recent weeks, as Fnatic now face an uphill battle to qualify for Valorant Champions 2026 in Shanghai.
The roster missed their second international of the year for the first time after their VCT EMEA Stage 1 elimination. All efforts will be to ensure they do not miss their third.
Is it the right decision? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
For more VCT news, Cloud9 has announced Xeppaa is taking a break from competitive Valorant.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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