Indian esports has witnessed several cases of salary and expense deceptions by esports organisations. The community hears about new cons every other day, and this story might be another unheard one. In our recent conversation with the team manager of the ex-Blind Esports COC team, the manager shared that Blind Esports failed to pay their salaries alongside their LAN expenses during their tenure.
Blind Esports signed their Clash of Clash team in January 2023 with the industry standard salary for the players and manager. According to the team manager's claim, Blind Esports delayed the initial salaries, followed by failing to pay their subsequent payments. Due to this payment issue, players decided to part ways with the organisation before the fixed tenure. These are the allegations made by the team, and Blind Esports is yet to respond to these claims.
Also Read: Spower Opens Up About Leaving Blind Esports, Calls It "An Internal Matter"
Blind Esports Clash Of Clans' Team Manager Alleges The Organisation of Failing Financial Commitments
In January 2023, Blind Esports signed the former Team XO Clash of Clans team, who represented India in the Snapdragon Pro Series 2022, Poland. After finding a new home, the team continued to work hard and qualified for the Group Stage of Clash of Clans Worlds Warmup 2023, becoming the only Indian team to bear the flag in an international COC tournament.
According to the team manager, Blind Esports failed to pay the team's first two months of salary on time. While the team was unhappy with the delayed payments, they continued to focus on their upcoming Kingfisher Indian Premiership 2023 LAN Finale by Nodwin Gaming. The Clash of Clans' team manager claimed that Blind Esports promised that they would pay for the team's expenses during the LAN events.
After the Kingfisher Indian Premiership 2023 LAN, when the players asked for the LAN expenses and their salaries, the management avoided the conversation by giving them another date. The issue continued for the next four months, and that's when the players decided to end their time with Blind Esports due to a lack of trust and financial distress. After leaving the organisation, the teams approached Blind Esports for payment, but they did say the organisation is facing some "tax issues" because of which they are unable to pay them. Due to the financial distress, the players left the lineup.
On 12 January 2024, the team manager sent them a legal notice over the financial dispute, but they haven't heard back from Blind Esports, resulting in them going public with their problem. These are the allegations made by the former team manager of Blind Esports' Clash of Clans. It is worth noting that these are the allegations and not the conclusion of the financial dispute.