Malaysia-based Team SMG has been disqualified from the upcoming regional qualifiers for the 2022 Dota 2 international tournament finals to be held in Singapore.
The e-sports organisation was founded by Singapore pop star JJ Lin and had been preparing for The International 11 (TI11) regional qualifier for Southeast Asia.
In a Facebook post on Sept 2, the team announced they were disqualified.
Team SMG management cited “several reasons which contributed to the unfortunate situation”, including a communication breakdown between the team manager and players and the late confirmation of the finalised DPC (Dota Pro Circuit) roster.
Management noted that upon discovery of the disqualification, they tried to appeal to Valve (the game developer), but their request was denied.
“We accept full responsibility for what has happened and our lapse in judgement that caused our disqualification,” said SMG management.
“After discussion, both the players and management have acknowledged that there were mistakes that could have been avoided, but have come to terms with the situation.”
At the same time, Team SMG announced that its chief executive Kenchi Yap would be stepping down, and an interim CEO will be appointed.
Netizens commented on the post, finding the reasons mentioned “totally ridiculous.”
“With ample time to complete your roster, and yet you fail to submit it? What full responsibility are you referring to when your players have been looking forward to play and it’s in Singapore of all places,” commented Facebook user Junwen Ong.
“It’s like you have been preparing for your final exam all year long, only to ‘forget’ to go to the exam hall on the exam day,” added Facebook user Abdul Jabbar Ismail.
From Oct 20-28, 2022, the world’s top 16 Dota 2 teams will battle it out at the TI11, before advancing to the finals, to be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Oct 29-30, 2022./TISG