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Team Secret makes management changes before Kiev Major Qualifiers

Puppey in the booth with Team Secret at The International 2016 (Valve)
Puppey in the booth with Team Secret at The International 2016 (Valve)

Dota 2 organization Team Secret has announced changes to its management just weeks before the Kiev Major Qualifiers begin.

Team director Kemal Sadikoglu has left the organization amidst controversy surrounding claims of player mistreatment from Jacky “EternaLEnVy” Mao. In a blog post from October 2016, EternaLEnVy alleged that Sadikoglu and Team Secret founder/captain Clement “Puppey” Ivanov were neglectful of players and had a practice of skimming 10% of team winnings without informing the rest of the roster. EternaLEnVy left the team late last year and founded Team NP.

Puppey has been hesitant to address the controversy in the past, but the Team Secret announcement prompted him to post a TwitLonger to address the situation.

“I would like to use this opportunity to address some of the drama involving previous players and our management,” said Puppey in the post. “Ultimately, as an owner of Secret I am responsible for all aspects of running the company. I apologize to those players who may have felt Team Secret did not meet or fulfill their expectations. I also understand that some managerial decisions have affected/impacted players negatively. However, I’m glad to be able to say that we have fulfilled all of our obligations towards previous players for their time at Secret.”

Secret will also be instituting a new CEO in John Yao, the brother of current senior manager (and prominent Clash of Clans player) Jorge Yao.

Team Secret has been a power player in the Dota 2 scene since its inception, taking home a win at the Shanghai Major in 2016 and top 8 finishes in a multitude of other major tournaments. The organization was also one of the first to be fully player-owned.

In other Dota 2 news, the first eight teams to attend the Kiev Major have been revealed, with the remaining slots to be filled by way of open qualifiers, which kick off on March 6. For more news on that, head over to the Yahoo Esports Dota 2 hub.


You can follow Taylor Cocke on Twitter @taylorcocke.