With the regular season over and having failed to earn many DPC Points, B8 has been reshuffling its roster ahead of The International 12 qualifiers. However, after leaving the team, Dendi's longtime teammate and fellow CIS veteran, Glib "Funn1k" Lipatnikov, publicly called out the Dota legend for not paying him some of his earnings.
During a Twitch stream, Funn1k mentioned that a manager told him he had done a disservice to the organization through media activity and that he has not been paid for at least two of the DPC Tours this season.
"Did you forget, buddy, that you owe me $7k? Don’t you think so? $7k for two DPC Tours, do you remember?" Funn1k said. "Speaking to the manager, I was told they’d pay me for the following half a year. What half a year? Are you out of your mind? Are you crazy? Hello, give me my DPC money! Those are mine, I won them at DPC, you took your cut, and you have no right to touch them."
Funn1k mentioned that B8 had numerous problems that he overlooked while playing for the organization, and these issues accumulated over time, leading to "inconveniences of all sorts for half a year, to put it mildly."
Although Funn1k's tirade about not being paid was followed by some unrelated stories and antics, it is best to take his claims lightly until there is confirmation of any settlement. However, he then focused on Dendi as a player, accusing him of being "low skill" and not putting in the effort to improve mechanically throughout the season.
Funn1k claimed that he tried to share methods to help Dendi improve, but the captain was unwilling to make progress. He eventually left the team after half a year of witnessing Dendi's lack of progression and his refusal to utilize the means to improve.
While the monetary side of Funn1k's argument remains uncertain, it is not farfetched to believe that Dendi might have been focused on other areas outside of Dota even during the DPC.
Dendi, a former TI champion, has fallen into relative obscurity at the highest level of the game, and B8 has struggled to stand out since its formation in January 2020, often ranking near the bottom of the DPC. The team even set the worst losing streak in pro-Dota history.
B8 relocated to North America this season due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, managing to stay in Division I. However, the org's performance indicates that something is not going Dendi's way, or there may be deeper internal issues.
For now, Dendi will have to form a new lineup for the upcoming TI12 qualifiers starting on August 17, while Funn1k remains a free agent and will likely keep everyone updated on the situation.
