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UPDATED - Statement by the GMR about the Russians' situation in the qualifier.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Virtus.pro's Rainbow Six Siege roster was disqualified from the second Malta Cyber Series: VII open qualifier after the team was reported for playing with an uneligible squad.
According to the Malta Cyber Series: VII open qualifiers rules, every roster must at least have three players from any European country. Unfortunately for the team, the tournament's rules excluded Russia.
Following the news, Virtus.pro's released a statement on the team's official X account. The organization admitted that after "having received an invitation from Ubisoft" the roster "agreed to participate in the qualifying rounds of the Malta Cyber Series: VII for additional practice before the Six Invitational 2024."
Virtus.pro labeled this decision as a "display of discrimination against our players, which we immediately reported to Ubisoft."
Earlier this year, Virtus.pro won both splits of the Europe League. At the same time, the Russians played at the BLAST R6 Major Copenhagen and the BLAST R6 Major Atlanta.
The team's performances in Europe and internationally throughout the year awarded the team with a sixth-place finish in the Global Standings and will be in the Six Invitational 2024.