Blast has come under scrutiny following its decision to replace the Argentine Counter-Strike 2 team BESTIA with Brazilian team Legacy at the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. The team’s CEO, streamer PapoMC, has confirmed his intention to sue the tournament organizer.
Blast’s decision, caused by visa issues affecting two of BESTIA’s players, has led to significant backlash from the team and the wider CS2 community.
According to Blast, BESTIA failed to meet the May 21 deadline for securing travel documentation required for US entry. Blast stated that despite providing multiple reminders and support throughout the process, the necessary documents were not submitted in time, prompting the tournament organizer to proceed with a replacement.
Legacy, the next eligible team from the South American RMR standings, was selected.
BESTIA CEO Alejandro ‘PapoMC’ Lococo contested the replacement, claiming the players had obtained their visas and that Blast had not acknowledged their final communications.
Lococo said that the organization would pursue legal proceedings against BLAST in both Texas and London. He also published images and videos online purportedly showing that the players’ visas had been approved.
Responding to Blast’s statement on X, PapoMC said, “You know you’re doing the wrong thing. We wanted to resolve this fairly. See you in court.”
You know you’re doing the wrong thing. We wanted to resolve this fairly. See you in court.
— BESTIA Papo MC 🔥🦅 (@PapoMcArg) May 24, 2025
Argentina’s government gets involved
The controversy attracted widespread attention from the esports community and even political figures. Argentine presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni stated that the government had intervened to assist the team in obtaining the necessary visas and criticized the decision to exclude them from the tournament.
“There’s nothing to thank us for,” Adorni said on X. “Just do everything to let them participate and play the best Counter Strike matches in the galaxy. End.”
No hay nada que agradecer, solo hacer todo para que les permitan participar y hacer las mejores partidas de Counter Strike de la galaxia. Fin. https://t.co/jHLY99ylir
— Manuel Adorni (@madorni) May 23, 2025
Blast has reiterated that the decision followed tournament rules and was approved by Valve, the game’s developer. The organization emphasized that maintaining strict deadlines was essential for operational integrity and fairness in international competition.
“While the relevant players subsequently did receive visas, there is no dispute that they were not in place in time to meet the required deadline. Accordingly, we had no choice but to uphold the rules of the tournament, which all teams were aware of,” Blast said.
“It is a matter of huge regret for everyone involved that this has resulted in BESTIA not being able to compete at the Austin Major. We recognise the disappointment this news brings to their fans and wider esports community.”
The controversy rages on as the tournament approaches, with legal proceedings potentially pending. Neither Blast nor Valve has issued further comment at this time.
