ESL rejected EG & FURIA to postpone their match to support BLM

According to insider Jarek "DeKay" Lewis, Evil Geniuses and FURIA planned to cancel the semifinal match ESL One Cologne 2020 for North America. Thus, the players wanted to express their solidarity with the protests against racism and police violence in the U.S., which unfolded against the backdrop of an incident in Kenosha, where police shot a black man.

The idea of the teams was rejected by the tournament organizer ESL. However, the event organizers had previously allowed the game to be postponed between Liquid and Chaos, which also supported the protests.

It is reported that after the ban on the postponement, Evil Geniuses and FURIA proposed to hold the first round standing on their spawns with nicknames supporting Black Lives Matter, but representatives of ESL did not support the idea. As a result, the teams decided to express their solidarity with a minute of silence before the game, showing the inscription #BlackLivesMatter in their cameras.

The match between Evil Geniuses and FURIA ended in a victory of the American team with a score of 2:0. In the final of the ESL One Cologne 2020 for North America they will play against Liquid.