CS pro player gets revenge on talent that asked him to step down
The dispute between former Counter-Strike 2 desk analyst and current BLEED esports head coach Aleksandar "kassad" Trifunović and G2's in-game leader Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen has gone into another round, with the latter getting his revenge after a disappointing performance by BLEED during the Major qualifiers.
The context
After a two-year break from coaching and becoming a prolific broadcast analyst, kassad announced his return to the team side of the Counter-Strike industry in November last year. During his time as a desk analyst, he had often taken the position of a heel, applying his game knowledge while not shying away from openly criticising teams or players during the broadcast.
One of the players he often found candid words for was HooXi, the in-game leader of the star-studded G2 roster. Various pundits around the scene criticised the Dane for his performance, citing that a team as stacked as G2 ought to perform better. His style of calling also came under fire.
In May of last year, after G2 finished in 12th-14th place at the BLAST Major Paris, Kassad took to social media platform X and directly addressed the player. He tweeted: "I was watching, Hooxii. I was watching you ruin Niko's chances to win the major. Now take responsibility and leave."
They later met again on the desk of IEM Cologne in July, with both bantering back and forth. HooXi would have the last laugh there, winning the last major event of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The clap back
the bleeding ballad: a hooxi and kassad tale
byu/DeNy_Kronos inGlobalOffensive
Since taking over at BLEED, Kassad has hired an international roster around team captain Hampus "Hampus" Poser with the expressed goal to slowly but surely compete for top positions at international events. While Kassad has shared that BLEED's strategy will be to improve incrementally and not expect immediate results, his team's performances during the qualifiers for PGL Major Copenhagen still left a lot to be desired.
"Taking the L on this one. Not enough time on the server was the biggest issue, but in time we will get better," the coach tweeted after dropping out of the competition, acknowledging that the team will have to further improve in the coming months.
Considering this is Kassad's first dip into major competition after his break from coaching, HooXi took the occasion to clap back, tweeting in familiar phrasing: "I was watching, Kassadd. I was watching you ruin BLEEDs chances to qualify for the closed RMR qualifier. Now take responsibility and leave." Kassad took the jab in stride, replying: "The war continues, Mr. Nielsen!"
G2 themselves aren't doing too hot in CS2 either, finishing the BLAST Premier World Finals in 5th-6th place after losses against FaZe and Na'Vi. A loss against Ninjas in Pyjamas at the BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2024 on January 22 might just be enough for Kassad to get his revenge.
