Less than three days after a North American VALORANT team emerged victorious in the Champions 2023 tournament, the region was hit with shocking news. The Guard, unfortunately, will not be participating in the upcoming 2024 VCT Americas season due to their failure to meet the deadline for the Team Participation Agreement.
Leo Faria, the global head of VALORANT esports, responded to the community backlash by providing more information on the issues with The Guard and their VALORANT roster. He also addressed the alternative solutions that were suggested by the community and explained why they were not feasible.
Faria clarified that every team that qualified for Ascension had signed the Team Participation Agreement before the tournament began, and these signatures were held in escrow. The expectation was that the winning teams of Ascension would release their signatures to finalize their promotion to the international VCT leagues. Unfortunately, The Guard did not complete this process and did not respond to follow-ups for two months.
However, The Guard’s statement contradicts this, expressing their disappointment at the unexpected outcome.
In response to The Guard’s withdrawal, many in the VALORANT community have called for the players to be allowed to compete under a different organization, considering their triumph in Ascension. Faria explained that since the players were not free agents when they competed, they are not permitted to form a “free agent team” or join another organization. Allowing an acquisition by a different organization could potentially open the door for the sale of VCT slots, which is not allowed by Riot.
A Riot employee further clarified that the company cannot make business decisions on behalf of players and assigning the players to another organization would be challenging without ensuring no money exchanged hands in the migration.
As a result, the players and coach of The Guard are left without an earned VCT Americas spot and without a team. The Guard has given them permission to pursue new opportunities. However, many still urge Riot to make an exception in these unique circumstances and allow the players to compete in VCT Americas after earning the right to do so through Ascension.
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Source: DOTESPORTS
