Virtus.pro mocks ESL and PGL bans

Despite bans, sanctions, and exclusions, some Russians continue to do things their own way. Such behavior includes the recent situation with Russian Counter Strike: Global Offensive team Virtus.pro. Players of the organization laughed at the bans of league organizers.

The decision not to exclude Russian players has become a popular one on the CS:GO scene. Instead, Russian organizations have been banned from major tournaments and Russian players are now only allowed to play under neutral flags. Gambit and Virtus.pro players decided to make such a move in ESL and PGL tournaments. The former chose a neutral name „Players“ and a meaningless logo. The latter, on the other hand, made a rather controversial choice.

Outsiders (VP's roster) and Players (Gambit's roster) logos for PGL Major Antwerp 2022 European RMR. In case their qualify for the Major, we will get their stickers in CS:GO with these new logos⚡️ pic.twitter.com/2j2RrKJRv9

— GC.SKINS (@gcskins) April 15, 2022

They called themselves „Outsiders“, which in Polish translation literally means autsajderzy, strangers. However the logo draws more attention. It is a purple bear holding a ban or cancel sign. The bear can obviously be identified with Russia, while the cancellation sign refers to Putin's „Cancel Culture“ narrative.

The Virtus.pro team plays under this name and logo not only in CS:GO, but also in Rainbow Six, where the same restrictions have been imposed on them. This blatantly shows that the desire to give the Russians a chance as „independent players“ has had no effect. The players are still dependent on an organization that strongly supports Putin's policies.

The community is outraged by the situation, and some are calling for consequences. Virtus.pro has once again played on the nose of the Europeans and laughed at their rules. Unfortunately, the organization is still supported by rich people, as well as a crowd of Russian fans who, perhaps unknowingly, faithfully sympathize with the domestic organization.