Fnatic has announced that it is dropping Milan ‘Milan’ de Meij as Valorant head coach ahead of the EMEA Esports World Cup qualifiers.
In his place, assistant coach Casper ‘Desmo’ Rasmussen is stepping up as interim head coach.
Meanwhile, the organisation announced that it is looking for a replacement to join its Valorant coaching staff, stating:
“Whilst we are still in discussion with Milan about his future at Fnatic, we want to thank him for his incredible efforts in the position, and we are working on finalizing a new head coach to work alongside Desmo.”
Fnatic’s VCT Woes
Fnatic missed out on Valorant Masters London qualification after losing to Team Heretics in the VCT EMEA playoffs.
The team had a flawless record in the Stage 1 Group Stages, but then failed to win in the playoffs after Sylvain ‘Veqaj’ Pattyn had to step down with health issues.
Clément ‘CyvOph’ Millard joined in his place, but couldn’t help Fnatic reach the international event in the organisation’s home town.
Now, the team needs to have a very strong end to the season in Stage 2 in order to qualify for Valorant Champions Shanghai.
And before that, the makeshift roster will try to qualify for the lucrative Esports World Cup with EMEA qualifiers underway.
Fnatic will start their qualification campaign on May 22 with a tricky match against VCT EMEA Kickoff champions BBL Esports.
Milan Takes Responsibility
Immediately following Fnatic’s loss to Team Heretics, Milan took to Twitter, taking responsibility for the defeat.
Four days later, Milan has been dropped as the team’s head coach. Following the news, the Dutch coach conceded,
“Esports moves fast, and sometimes change is part of the process.”
However, he then stressed his support for the team, stating:
“I’m grateful for every player, staff member, and fan who was part of this journey. We shared some incredible moments, learned through the difficult ones, and built memories I’ll carry with me for a long time.
“I still believe deeply in this roster and the people behind it. Thank you for all the support during my time here.”
Meanwhile, Fnatic’s Valorant team director Colin ‘CoJo’ Johnson gave some extra context behind the team’s polarising decision:
“After review, we felt like we could get more out of our coaching structure as we try & push for our remaining objectives this season.
“Wasn’t an easy decision, especially with someone who we’re all so fond of, but I believe a change was necessary and we can still do great things.”
What are your thoughts on this choice by Fnatic? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord.
And in other VCT roster news, Cloud9 has announced Erick ‘Xeppaa’ Bach is taking a break from competitive Valorant.
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