Dastan left Virtus.pro

Former coach of Virtus.pro's Counter-Strike 2 team, Dastan "dastan" Akbayev, has departed the organisation and is now a free agent. The club announced this on its official website and social media channels.

The Kazakh esports professional coached Virtus.pro from December 2019 until May 2024, after which he was placed on inactive status with a view to potential future collaboration. However, according to Virtus.pro CEO Nikolay Petrosyan, they were ultimately unable to find a suitable position for Akbayev within the organisation.

"Dastan’s contribution to Virtus.pro's recent successes in CS is invaluable. He stood behind the players through the toughest trials and greatest victories. However, any partnership inevitably reaches its limits. Together, we tried to find a suitable role for Dastan within the club’s structure, but we couldn’t arrive at an option that satisfied both sides and allowed us to work effectively. Therefore, ending our professional relationship was the best solution."

Dastan himself added that he is “preparing for the new season and open to opportunities.” Under his leadership, Virtus.pro became the champion of the IEM Rio Major 2022 and won several other major tournaments, including Flashpoint Season 2, cs_summit 7, and ESL Challenger Rotterdam 2022.