FaZe Clan player Håvard "rain" Nygaard commented on the controversy surrounding Astralis at the BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024 for CS2. In an interview with HLTV.org, he stated that the tournament operator has damaged its reputation by making an exception for the Danish team.
"Considering how many times BLAST has forced teams to strictly adhere to their rules and play with a coach, this statement is complete nonsense. In my opinion, BLAST is not presenting itself in the best light, especially since teams will have to choose which tournaments to participate in next year. It seems to me that BLAST is harming itself with such decisions. Honestly, it’s just bad."
Previously, BLAST allowed Astralis to compete in the BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024 with an updated roster, replacing Alexander "br0" Bro with Casper "cadiaN" Møller after the roster lock. The Danish organisation claimed that br0 could not participate in the tournament due to illness, although his agent had reported shortly before this situation that the player was in perfect health.
This decision by BLAST did not sit well with other participants in the BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024, leading the captains of most teams to boycott the media day for the tournament. As a result, the organizers imposed penalty points on the players. They later attempted to clarify the situation, stating that Astralis would forfeit part of their prize money due to the roster change.