NAVI CSGO star Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev has categorically dismissed one of the latest rumors about his team.
NAVI ended the CS:GO tournament season on a disappointing note, crashing out of the BLAST Paris Major in the Legends Stage — the first time in six years in which the team could not reach the playoff stages of a Major.
It is now a year since NAVI won their last CS:GO trophy, at the BLAST Premier 2022 Spring Final in Lisbon, and questions remain about how the team will turn the corner, with Heroic and Vitality clearly a step above them right now.
Shortly after NAVI’s final tournament appearance, rumors in the CS:GO scene began to suggest that the organization was looking to remove head coach Andrij ‘B1ad3’ Ghorodensjkyj and young player Andrij ‘npl’ Kukharsjkyj.
Questioned on his stream about the B1ad3 rumor, s1mple said: “How can you be so stupid to say that NAVI are kicking B1ad3 or that B1ad3 is leaving? It’s dumb as f**k.
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“If you know nothing about the game, you will say that NAVI will remove B1ad3, that B1ad3 will leave NAVI, or that we need another coach. B1ad3 is one of the smartest guys I know. If he leaves, it will be his decision. Everyone who makes this rumor is stupid as f**k.”
s1mple responds to @natusvincere removal rumors! pic.twitter.com/wxc82fHjjh
— 🇺🇦 s1mple clips (@s1mpleband) June 12, 2023
A former professional player, B1ad3 is widely regarded as one of the finest tactical minds in the Counter-Strike franchise. Last year, he won the Esports Coach of the Year award at the Esports Awards.
After the player break, NAVI will return to action in the BLAST Premier Fall Groups, scheduled for July 13-23. Later that month, the team will attend IEM Cologne 2023, where they will start the tournament in the group stage.