Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunović has officially parted ways with Cloud9's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive staff. He joined the team in September 2020 when the lineup was being rebuilt. It's only been a little over three months but the Serbian coach is off to find a new esports home. The announcement surprised many but there is apparently no bad blood.

A neverending process

Officially, Kassad decided to make his exit because of a clash in style and game philosophy with C9's in-game leader, Alex “ALEX” McMeekin. They both entered the CS: GO stack in the same month but could not reconcile a difference in approach of the esports title. C9's general manager, Henry “HenryG” Greer weighed in on the big coaching staff change for the organization in a brief statement.

“No one is or was at fault and there is absolutely no bad-blood between him, the org, or players. It simply felt like there was somewhat of a stylistic clash between the in-game leader and Kassad, leading to a few too many compromises from a strategic point of view.”

HenryG wrapped up the statement by reiterating the challenges of searching for a new head coach for his time. The final word of his statement was an open call for any coach willing to take the role and the challenge of leading C9 in the 2021 CS: GO season. Any head coach can get in contact with C9's general manager.

There is no shortage of stories of bad blood between players and organizations in the past. However, this story is an exception. Fortunately, it seems the big staff change was settled amicably for both sides. This is a prime example of professionalism in esports. Hopefully, Kassad will be able to find a new esports organization that will benefit greatly from his experience and coaching style. There's always a team for any player or coach.