Astralis fined by Riot Games after LEC investigation

Danish esports organization Astralis must pay a €5,000 fine, and must fulfill new requirements, Riot Games has ruled after an investigation into the team’s missing salary payments to players, and the actions of the team’s general manager.

LEC Commissioner Maximillian Peter Schmidt said that “multiple Astralis Team Members had reached out to the League reporting missing salary payments as well as conduct unbecoming of an LEC Team Manager by the interim Astralis General Manager.”

The LEC investigation found that the missing salary payments were “tied to the specifics of the Danish jurisdiction and human error.”

“Astralis was fully cooperative and swiftly resolved the matter,” the ruling continues. “The League confirmed all missing payments have now been received by the Team Members.”

However, the investigation also found that “the Astralis GM exhibited conduct unbecoming of an LEC Team Manager including the misrepresentation of certain contract terms with the Team Members and a singular instance of verbal misconduct.”

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The GM in question is not named. Astralis’s former GM, Martin ‘Deficio’ Lynge, who was there when the team went by Origen in the LEC, left at the same time as the rebranding was announced, back in September.

In addition to the €5,000 fine, Astralis must now meet four extra requirements as an organization in the LEC:

• Astralis is required to establish and communicate a direct avenue which Team Members can use to report potential grievances towards the Astralis ownership group.
• Astralis is required to establish an on-boarding program for their Team Members including an outline of the above as well as an overview of Danish vacation pay and tax/payment/EasyID requirements.
• The League will schedule check-in calls with all Team Members in the 2021 Season to ensure the above has been executed.
• Astralis and their General Manager will be officially warned for conduct unbecoming of an LEC Team Manager as we consider the LEC organizations responsible for the actions of their employees.

At the time of writing, Astralis has not commented publicly on the LEC’s ruling.

The organization is best known for its CS:GO team, and rebranded their FIFA and LoL teams to unify the brand under the Astralis banner.