Team Liquid's zerg Jos "Ret" de Kroon has been benched for the upcoming IPL 5 due to his recent match against NightEnd in DreamHack Winter group stage.
After losing the first game, Ret paused the game in order to calculate whether there's a chance for him to advance. He then proceeded to rally massive amounts of lings and banelings into protoss fire and take five bases at once, an act which, according to Nazgul, "clearly showed he was not trying to win".
Liquid`Nazgul:
When Ret agreed to participate at DreamHack, he signed up with knowledge of the format, and knowing that there was the possibility of playing matches without meaning. Professionals in traditional and electronic sports alike will often find themselves in those situations. For example, it is a standard part of the final weeks of any large league competition – be it football, basketball or Brood War's Proleague – where teams in the middle of the pack have nothing more to lose or gain.
For a variety of reasons, it can be hard for players to give full effort in those situations. However, it is a competitor's responsibility to respect the tournament, fans, team, and sponsors by showing professionalism and sportsmanship even in those situations. Unfortunately, Ret showed no intention of trying to win his match, falling far beneath what was expected of him as a professional. We apologize to DreamHack and Liquid fans for not giving them the matches they deserved, and to our sponsors for representing them poorly.
When Ret agreed to participate at DreamHack, he signed up with knowledge of the format, and knowing that there was the possibility of playing matches without meaning. Professionals in traditional and electronic sports alike will often find themselves in those situations. For example, it is a standard part of the final weeks of any large league competition – be it football, basketball or Brood War's Proleague – where teams in the middle of the pack have nothing more to lose or gain.
For a variety of reasons, it can be hard for players to give full effort in those situations. However, it is a competitor's responsibility to respect the tournament, fans, team, and sponsors by showing professionalism and sportsmanship even in those situations. Unfortunately, Ret showed no intention of trying to win his match, falling far beneath what was expected of him as a professional. We apologize to DreamHack and Liquid fans for not giving them the matches they deserved, and to our sponsors for representing them poorly.
Ret's first match in IPL 5 would have been against Yoda but as is, the IM terran will get a walkover and will await the winner of Squirtle and Catz in round 2. As for the tournament, a prize pool of $100,000 is up for the taking as the action kicks off November 29th.
Source: Team Liquid Pro
