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The podium finish of the Indian DOTA 2 team at the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championship this year marked a strong esports presence on the world stage for the subcontinent in 2022. Furthermore, a number of athletes have qualified to represent India across various esports at upcoming international competitions, but all does not seem well.
An ugly spat has now come to light between India's DOTA 2 team captain, Moin Ejaz, and the Esports Federation of India (ESFI), involving the DOTA 2 roster meant to participate in the international tournaments leading up to the 19th Asian Games in a year's time. The altercation caught many off-guard as the team recently won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022.
[Update: The article has been updated with the second official statement from ESFI and Moin Ejaz's response to the same]
Indian DOTA 2 team's roster in doubt after recent controversy
The controversy came to light with Moin posting on his personal Facebook profile that they might not be participating in the upcoming 14th WEC as "Team Whoops (Team India) is having issues with ESFI regarding the team roster." He went on to explain that the organization expects the same roster for the Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022 to participate in all upcoming tournaments.
Moin stated that that ESFI had mentioned that "only one team will represent India in all the events leading up to the Asian Games" and that he did not think that it was fair to anyone playing DOTA 2 in India. He would prefer if ESFI hosted "fair and open qualifiers for all the upcoming events, so that everyone has an equal chance of representing India which will also help the DOTA 2 scene in India to grow."
Later that day, ESFI officially responded to the matter as well as Moin's social media post. In a lengthy statement, they explained that there were guidelines that did not allow for changes to participating team members and that their goal was to allow the team to practice and grow stronger instead of repeatedly shuffling the roster.
Their statement also refuted Moin's claims and made counter allegations against him, stating that he was playing politics and attempting to change the roster on his own. The statement concluded as follows:
"These events are not private events, these events are governed by principal of sports, and we expect all the stakeholders to appreciate, respect, and follow them."
Moin responded to the official communication from ESFI with another Facebook post, where he narrated the alleged lackluster support the participating members received while trying to make their way to the Commonwealth Esports Championship 2022. He narrated various incidents that showed ESFI in quite a poor light, including having the players look for their own sponsorship.
This was followed by another statement from ESFI where they clarified on multiple points made by Moin, including the matter of changes in the roster, visa expenses, sponsors, forfeiting, and qualifiers. It provided their account and explained the situation in detail for everyone to read.
The statement ended with ESFI making it clear that they maintain " an open & continuous communication with the Team" and have tried to meet the team for "a transparent & fair discussion."
This brought forth another response from Moin. In another lengthy post, he called out the organization for what he alleged were lies in the second official statement. He again reiterated his wish for them "to conduct fair and open qualifiers for every event."
Perusing the comments on Moin's and ESFI's post on their Facebook account, it seems that ESFI would certainly like to rectify any communication barriers in the future. Many also pointed out that the organization is not officially recognized, as was clarified earlier by the Indian government. It is still a member of the International Esports Federation (IESF), Global Esports Federation (GEF) and Asian Esports Federation (AESF).
The entire incident is unfortunate news for Indian DOTA 2 fans who thoroughly enjoyed the team's performance on the international stage as well as their podium finish. Such allegations and controversies do nothing but hamper the budding and growing esports scene within the country. One can only hope that this will be resolved quickly.
