Introduction: The S16 season has officially started, and most players have been paying attention to the recent matchups. The contests across major regions have been extremely intense. Recently, the European playoffs have been particularly heated. It was expected that there wouldn’t be many issues, but unexpectedly, the veteran team FNC’s coach openly challenged the management, which was completely different from previous promises. Instead of having players participate in scrims, it might be better to watch the match replays of top-tier teams. Honestly, this situation is not limited to the European region; similar issues exist in the LPL as well. The relationships between management, players, and coaches are not as harmonious as many think.

Internal conflicts erupt within the LOL world champion team

Most players are quite familiar with the FNC team. As a veteran LOL team, they won the World Championship back in Season 1. To this day, the FNC Championship Hecarim skin remains one of the most popular skins. In Season 8, FNC also secured the runner-up position at Worlds, cementing their world-class reputation. After Caps left, FNC’s performance began to decline, gradually falling out of the top tier and barely securing a spot for Worlds from the LEC. In Season 15, FNC fought through multiple rounds to finally qualify as the third seed from Europe.

After the start of Season 16, FNC’s overall performance has been mediocre. After losing their final regular season match to G2, they barely qualified for the LEC playoffs at the bottom of the standings. G2’s performance was also average, standing just above FNC with a 6-5 record. In the first round of playoffs, FNC faced NAVI and the outcome was predictable: NAVI defeated FNC 2-0 with ease. Both games ended shortly after the 30-minute mark, showing a dominant performance with no chance given to FNC. The gap between the two teams was very clear. FNC showed none of the presence expected from a veteran team, and it’s highly unlikely they will secure a Worlds spot this season.

In an interview, their head coach once said: “If you want to record these words, go ahead, I don’t care.” He expressed dissatisfaction with management, saying that what was promised to him was not fulfilled. Currently, the coaching staff consists of only him. During the third week of the regular season, assistant coach Gaax was absent due to illness, leaving only head coach CrabbZ. He also mentioned that before the season started, management promised him two assistants including a mental coach, but the current situation is completely different. FNC is a team severely lacking resources, with no one to help review and discuss strategies. Instead of having players scrim, it would be better to watch match replays of strong teams like GEN and HLE.

It’s clear that FNC is now at a desperate point, likely due to insufficient funding. Conflicts between players, management, and the coaching staff are worsening. Honestly, this issue is not unique to the European region; the LPL faces similar problems. The BLG team also has internal troubles. Previously, Bin left the team abruptly, and BLG quickly announced a substitute top laner from their second team. Now, head coach Danny must be quite puzzled about how to manage such a strong-willed roster.

Farewell Thoughts

Who would have thought that the very first LOL World Championship winner would fall to such a state, with the coaching staff openly criticizing management? If a team only has one head coach, it will struggle greatly—no one can cover every aspect alone. Whether in the LPL or LCK, top teams all have strong coaching staffs; relying on one person alone cannot lead to the ultimate championship.

What do you all think about this situation?