The Finnish Esports Association says the decision is years old.
Finnish electronic sports association SEUL is separating from international esports umbrella organization Iesfi.
SEUL said in its press release on Monday that “this decision has its roots in differences that have existed for years regarding the operation and pricing base of the IESF and have been discussed in public before”.
– Especially in the post-war period of aggression in Russia, the situation has become untenable from the point of view of the Finnish Electronic Sports Association and its wider membership, President Otto Takala said in the press release.
The umbrella organization announced after the vote in August that sanctions and restrictions on Russian players had been lifted. In the future, Russian players will be allowed to play with Russia’s national symbols, such as the flag, name and national anthem, at world championships and national team activities organized by the IESF.
Seoul immediately published a statement in which it demanded greater transparency from international sports federations and criticized the return of Russian players to international eSports tournaments. Due to the withdrawal of the Russians, Finland also announced that it would join the other Nordic confederations in boycotting the World Cup.
Read more: Umbrella organization lifts all sanctions against Russia – Finland protests: “Shameful”
According to Takla, SEUL aims to deepen Nordic and European cooperation in exports after leaving the umbrella organization.
