The esports organization made the announcement via its Twitter page. The post read, “It’s with heavy hearts that we will attend another event without them. Misha and Chu have been denied their visas to the US and won’t be able to attend the Major. They will work with the team remotely. We’ll do everything in our power to make them proud once again.”
Both Chu and Misha are Russian nationals, and due to the current conflict in Ukraine, citizens from both countries are experiencing issues obtaining US visas. This is the second time in a row this issue has arisen, and to make up for the lack, Sebastian “Ceb” Debs will rejoin the team’s lineup, hoping to lead them to another victory.
Ceb previously played with OG in the ESL One Stockholm 2022 campaign, which the team won. His play at the time enabled the team to earn its fifth Major win despite the event being several teammates’ first time at a major LAN event. At the time, he also replaced Misha, who had visa issues. GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022 also saw the absence of the team’s captain, who was replaced by Chuvash.
The head of OG’s esports, Mike Schwartz, revealed that the organization had already made plans and gotten the visas for the other teammates before the competition; however, Misha and Chu’s arrangements could not be completed.
The OG head explained, “Although we completed and received both B and P visa approvals for the entire team in a timely manner, we were unable to secure the required appointments to finalize the process with Misha and Chu.”
Schwartz continued, “Unfortunately, this was an issue facing many of the teams that are having stand-ins at the event due to the current immigration climate and USCIS backlog. We are grateful, however, that Ceb can once again step into the roster and hopefully guide the team once more to a Major victory.”
Whether or not OG wins the Arlington Major, the team is already qualified to carry on to The International 2022. By October, they will head to Singapore due to their position as one of the favorites from Europe.
OG is not the only team that has faced issues preparing for the Arlington event. Earlier, Fnatic announced that three of their players, Marc “Raven” Fausto, Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla, and Armel “Armel” Tabios, would not be joining them for the tournament due to their inability to secure US visas in time.
The team is now down to two players, Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong and Djardeo “DJ” Mampusti. Fnatic will reportedly participate with three stand-ins. This could deal a huge blow to the team’s hopes of giving an outstanding performance at the Major because they would most likely be unable to practice with their three new teammates before then.
Xtreme Gaming is another team affected by an incomplete US visa process. Unlike others who brought in stand-ins, the team decided to entirely withdraw from the competition after a player had their application declined several times. Some more roster changes could still be in the works before August 4, when the Major will start.
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