Fifflaren Alleges Severe Mistreatment and Missed Payments by Ninjas in Pyjamas

In an interview with Richard Lewis on Monday, former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Robin "Fifflaren" Johansson alleged his former team, Ninjas in Pyjamas, had mistreated players by withholding payments in excess of $10,000.

Fifflaren, who played for Ninjas in Pyjamas during its extraordinarily dominant 2012 and 2013 CS:GO run, claims the organization repeatedly withheld tournament winnings from him and the rest of the team. Additionally, he alleged players received no money from sponsors of the organization, and were prevented from seeking out sponsors of their own.

In total, Fifflaren believes he's owed at least $30,000. Further, he claims the organization owes money to several other players from the team: Adam "friberg" Friberg, Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund, Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg and Richard "Xizt" Landström. Fifflaren also claims Ninjas in Pyjamas, at various points, treated Anders Blume, Dennis "dennis" Edman, Mikail "Maikelele" Bill, Joona "natu" Leppänen, Aleksi "allu" Jalli and William "draken" Sundin unfairly.

According to Fifflaren, Ninjas in Pyjamas' wrongdoing extended beyond their withholding of tournament winnings. He alleged the organization required all players to receive written permission from the organization if they hoped to have a romantic partner. Players could also be terminated for cause at any time, and would receive no salary should they be moved to the inactive roster for any reason.

Video of the interview between Fifflaren and Lewis has yet to be made public since its initial live streaming.

Ninjas in Pyjamas responded to Fifflaren's accusations with a statement released Wednesday. The organization claims that its current management had nothing to do with the alleged wrongs that took place before it assumed control in 2016. The statement also says that all outstanding debts to players have been paid in accordance with Swedish tax law, including those owed to Fifflaren, and that all legal documents have undergone a review that has improved player contracts.