VG.Flash, Fierce Tiger to replay Asia Minor qualifier match

VG.Flash and Fierce Tiger will have to replay the grand final of the Chinese qualifier for the Asia Minor, both teams have confirmed.

In emails sent to both teams, FACEIT explained that "it is in the best interest for the integrity of the competition, as well as in view of fairness and sportsmanship" for the final to be replayed, and added that the match must take place by the end of the week.

Fierce Tiger had initially qualified for the Asia Minor with a forfeit victory over VG.Flash, who could not play the match due to internet issues.

The WCA 2017 champions suspected of foul play and issued a statement explaining that their internet had been sabotaged just before the match was scheduled to start.

Summer & co will face Fierce Tiger in a replay of the final

Unhappy with FACEIT's decision, Fierce Tiger took to Reddit and revealed the emails that were exchanged with the tournament organisers. In them, the Chinese organisation claim that they cannot be held accountable for VG.Flash's "own mistakes", adding that their opponents' internet issues were "caused by their own negligence".

Furthermore, Fierce Tiger wrote that the players "are now on vacation" and that the decision to replay the match "could have a really big influence" on the outcome of the encounter.

"We do not believe a rematch is needed, and we are deeply frustrated by the very fact that a rematch has been officially requested by FACEIT, a reputable and trustworthy host for various eSports tournaments and leagues, when our qualification is completely justified by the contest rules and has been communicated through HLTV.org to fans of CS:GO," Fierce Tiger wrote in a statement posted on Reddit.

"FACEIT’s act not only disrespects the rules and our team, it also undermines their own credibility. How can the justness and integrity of a tournament/game be protected and guaranteed, when the rules can be easily disregarded by the host?

"Though we respect the rules and the host, we will not (accept such decision / comply with such request). We will not surrender our qualification for Asia Minor to any unfair decisions. We sincerely hope that FACEIT and parties involved can reach a verdict with fair play in mind."

VG.Flash #40 YuLun 'Summer' CaiYuanZhang 'Attacker' ShengWeiJie 'zhokiNg' ZhongKunHua 'LOVEYY' BaiWingHei 'Freeman' Cheung Fierce Tiger #127 Bin 'Savage' LiuZhen 'HZ' HuangXin 'Supreme' ZhangQingYu 'Monster' DengBinHui 'wuyu' Jiang