Virtus.pro have officially announced that their CS:GO team will skip the upcoming IEM Rio 2023. The tournament operator has already determined which team will replace VP.

The management of the club explained that the decision to skip the championship was due to the fact that the team in its current form allegedly would not be able to meet the expectations of fans, and therefore will focus on intense training.

ESL has already confirmed that Imperial will take Virtus.pro's spot, which should certainly please Brazilian fans. Imperial will be the third Brazilian club on the LAN event along with FURIA and MIBR.

But is it all just about pleasing the organization's fans? According to former HellRaisers CEO Alexey Slabukhin, the reason is internal turmoil within the team and that it was the players themselves who refused to attend the tournament.

The peak was reached and the lineup fell apart - they're not flying to IEM Rio. The funniest thing is that management presented it as "We need to get in shape and train more." In reality, there is no lineup and the players simply refused to go. But we'll talk about the situation at the Major in general, because it's a comedy in several acts.

Alexey Slabukhin

Timeline according to Magician's insider information:

• After the Major, the Outsiders lineup decides to kick n0rb3r7 using the "either us or him" scheme, discussing it behind his back;
• n0rb3r7 finds out about his teammates' intentions from third parties;
  
• To try to justify themselves somehow, the organization's management puts the player on a short-term loan, and he starts playing for K23;
  
• After two losses in the RMR, the quartet of players decides to bring back n0rb3r7 and kick KaiR0N-;
  
• VP requests permission from BLAST to replace KaiR0N- for a valid reason - supposedly due to his visa expiring;
  
• The organizers approve the replacement but prohibit mentioning it in post-match interviews due to leaked information in the media that KaiR0N-'s visa is fine;
  
• VP leaves the RMR and after some time refuses to go to IEM Rio.
  

READ MORE:

• Virtus.pro Banned Interviewers From Asking Questions About Replacing KaiR0N- With N0rb3r7
• Virtus.pro will miss the BLAST Paris Major - the Major champions will not be able to defend their title for the first time in CS:GO history
  
• S1mple Arranged a Marathon of Answers And Questions: He Criticized Virtus.pro, Quarreled with Overdrive, and Talked About Personal Life
  

Recall that IEM Rio 2023 will start on April 17 in Rio de Janeiro. 16 teams will participate in the championship, competing for a prize pool of $250,000 and one slot for IEM Cologne 2023.

Source: Telegram @MagicianCEO