Upset breaks silence on rumors he left Fnatic at Worlds due to internal issues

Elias ‘Upset’ Lipp has broken his silence on his Worlds 2021 absence and swirling European rumors Fnatic is covering up growing internal issues in their League of Legends team by saying the German star had to leave Iceland early for “urgent family matters” ahead of Group B’s opening matchday.

Fnatic’s preparation for the League of Legends World Championship was rocked on Oct. 10 after news Upset had to leave Reykjavik due to “urgent family matters.”

Upset originally joined Fnatic ahead of LEC 2021 Spring, replacing the org’s iconic bot laner Martin ‘Rekkles’ Larsson. Since joining, the German played a vital role in Fnatic’s surprise charge to the Summer grand final ⁠— a contest they went on to lose to defending champs MAD Lions — and their Worlds qualification.

Worlds 2021 would have marked Upset’s first international campaign, but “urgent family matters” denied him the chance. In his place, rookie Louis ‘Bean’ Schmitz has been playing in the Fnatic roster, who have started their Worlds run 0–2.

Some have since questioned Upset’s absence.

Now, days after Fnatic’s somber announcement, Upset has moved to quash any rumors regarding his sudden Worlds departure, and shut down “petty” drama.

Upset revealed he had to leave due to “intense suffering” in his personal life, and took aim at those in the League of Legends community ⁠— chief among them ex-Fnatic mid laner Nemesis ⁠— spreading “petty” rumors about his situation.

“Everyone who knows me understands playing Worlds was always my dream,” he said, “but there is always a thing more important; taking care of your family when there is intense suffering. I felt very bad being so far away in such a difficult time when I was needed so for me this was the right choice.

“Anything else people say is not true, and I would never leave this opportunity for petty reasons, so please stop speculating and making things up as if you know anything because it hurts my privacy and the people I care most about.

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“Thank you for the support. I will continue my social media break,” the Fnatic star added, then addressed his team’s 0-2 start: “Hopefully the team bounces back.”

Fnatic have had a rough start to their World Championship run this year, already losing games to Hanwha Life Esports and long-standing LPL rivals Royal Never Give Up. The LEC team dropped to last place in Group C standings.

Next up for the Worlds 2018 finalists is PSG Talon, the reigning PCS champions. Most League of Legends pundits were originally tipping Fnatic to stage a major charge for quarter final qualification despite being drawn into a tough Group C, but since losing Upset ahead of the tournament those hopes have evaporated.

• Read More: All the LoL Worlds 2021 action & results

The last time Fnatic started a Worlds run 0-2, however, they pulled off a historic group escape, qualifying over Gigabyte Marines and Immortals in 2017.