Team Lunatix, one of the teams in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Pro League Malaysia, has found itself in the limelight of the MLBB community due to a contract dispute with some of its team members following the MPL MY Season 12 roster lock.
Around last June, the team recruited two former Falcon Esports team players, Hein “Kid” Thu and Kyaw “Zippy” Bo, and one of the team’s coaching staff known as DJ from Myanmar. With the exception of the latter, the two players lived in Malaysia for a month before unexpectedly returning to their home country.
The situation sparked speculation among the MLBB community that there was animosity among the squad, which was later denied by Lunatix’s management. Through their official Facebook page, the management stated that they had given advance allowances to their Burmese members and only found out that they were returning to Myanmar on August 5.
“We regret to inform that 3 players Kid, Zippy and DJ have left the squad,” the management stated. “The organisation has paid them advanced allowance (Kid RM5xxx and DJ RM4xxx full, and Zippy RM4xxx 50%) in June 2023 despite they have not come to Malaysia in July 2023.”
“Under Clause 3.0 in the contract, management has the right to make all events and tournaments roster changes. We had a discussion with DJ that we may not need Kid service during transfer window and plan to bring another player. It was a suggestion to be discussed. We didn’t officially remove Kid at that time, and we also didn’t remove Zippy and DJ as well. Nevertheless, Kid and Zippy have quietly returned to Myanmar on 5 August 2023 without informed the management they were going back. For DJ, he himself decided to follow them to quit the squad.”
Additionally, the team management stated that they reimbursed Kid and Zippy for their e-visas and plane tickets, which occurred before their departure to Malaysia in June. They also alleged that the players were unhappy with the food menu provided at their Malaysian basecamp.
The statement elicited a heated reaction from the MLBB community, who lambasted the three’s unprofessional behavior. Kid later addressed this and posted a clarification on his page yesterday. He stated that this conflict had nothing to do with Malaysian culture or cuisine, and that the problem arose as a result of the Lunatix Team’s failure to meet their responsibilities to pay for their services and provide suitable housing facilities for them.
According to his explanation, Zippy and him opted to return to their home country since they have yet to get payment for their e-visa and airline tickets issued in June, as well as the privacy and housing facilities promised in their contracts. He further said that the team owner has threatened to sue them through legal means using his connections.
This is the first time in the history of the MPL MY tournament that team members have abruptly opted to depart after the roster lock. Team Lunatix and the Myanmar players are currently awaiting a decision from Moonton, who is scheduled to undertake a review next week.
