Fnatic parts ways with coach YoungBuck amid internal issues

William Davis Published 14/11/2019

Fnatic has parted ways with head coach Joey “YoungBuck” Steltenpool, who had overseen the team since 2018.

Fnatic is looking to enter 2020 with new coaching staff. The organization released coach YoungBuck, who led the team to the World Championship final in 2018. The change comes after an underwhelming result at the World Championship where Fnatic was knocked out in the quarterfinals despite high expectations.

YoungBuck leaves Fnatic

“This year, we still feel how painfully short we fell in two LEC splits before losing to FunPlus Phoenix at Worlds. We were obviously looking to create similar success in 2019, but we found ourselves quickly swamped by internal issues in Spring that we could not overcome as players and coaching staff by the year’s culmination,” wrote YoungBuck on a statement shared by Fnatic.

Fnatic has been open about internal issues. In episode two of Legends in Action, YoungBuck and the players addressed the general discontent. According to the video, the players were constantly blaming each other for the mistakes in-game and didn’t take responsibility for their own shortcomings.

More roster changes coming to Fnatic?

The hostile environment might be the reason behind YoungBuck’s departure. Rumors indicate that the head coach is not the only change for the team. According to different sources, the team is looking to renovate its roster and facilitate the transfer of at least some of its current players. Jungler Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen is one of the possible transfers in the off-season.

The rumors place him in North America where organizations like Team SoloMid, who are actively looking for a jungler. North America is a region where European junglers and mid laners thrive, and the best example is the Danish trio of Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen, Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, and Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg.

Martin “Rekkles” Larsson has also been rumored for a transfer, with Cloud9 being a potential destination as C9 debates its own roster’s future.

YoungBuck is also rumored to be joining the LCS, although the possible team is unclear at the moment. All roster changes will be confirmed after November 18 when free agency opens.

Read Also

League of Legends

DPlus players haven’t been paid in a month as upcoming acquisition affects finances Michael Hassall Korean esports organization Dplus Kia has reportedly not paid players for multiple titles it competes in for a period of at least a month as it grapples with financial issues related to an upcoming acquisition. The news surfaced on July 16 that the organization was struggling to fulfill its commitments to pay players. Just a few hours later, DPlus released a statement admitting the issues, but insisting that players had ...

Esports Betting

League of Legends at the EWC 2026 preview, details, predictions, and more Hannan Mundia The 2026 League of Legends Esports World Cup has the potential to be even grander than the last, making it all the more important to learn about its schedule and participating teams. League of Legends has no shortage of large-scale international tournaments. While First Stand and the Mid-Season Invitational have concluded, the next event that fans have to look forward to is the Esports World Cup. Gen.G may have dominated ...

League of Legends

HLE’s MSI win may have proven that Gumayusi’s the GOAT Hannan Mundia With HLE winning the 2026 MSI tournament grand final against BLG, there’s a real argument that Gumayusi may be the best ADC player currently. This year’s MSI has finally concluded, and Hanwha Life Esports took home the winning trophy. While it was filled to the brim with ups and downs for every player, Gumayusi may be the only player who consistently performed in every game, regardless of which team was ...

Esports Betting

Hanwha Life Esports vs BLG: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026 grand final Hannan Mundia Hanwha Life Esports and BLG will get to have a rematch in the 2026 MSI grand final, but which team will walk away as the victor? The first match between HLE and BLG didn’t really go well for the LCK team. The stakes are much higher this time, and the looming question is whether things will be any different this time around. Tournament: MSI 2026 Stage: Lower bracket final Game: ...

Esports Betting

NA has a winning head-to-head against EU at MSI for the first time since 2018 Wasif Ahmed LYON just beat G2 Esports 3-0 at the LoL 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. Right off the high of beating the six-time World champion T1, the LEC representative quickly came back to Earth as NA cut their run short. Now, North America is ahead of Europe in the head-to-head for the first time since 2018. After G2’s victories against Top Esports and T1, the predictions were split. Part of the community rationally ...

Esports Betting

Hanwha Life Esports barely beats LYON 3-2 at LoL MSI 2026 Wasif Ahmed In a heartbreaking moment for North America, Hanwha Life Esports beat LYON in a close 3-2 in the MSI 2026 loser’s final. For South Korea, this means a rematch for HLE against Bilibili Gaming in the grand final, and a fourth slot at Worlds 2026. For North America, it’s yet another near-win against the East as they fall short for the third time in two years. The series between HLE ...

League of Legends

Hanwha Life Esports vs LYON: Best betting odds and picks for MSI 2026 Hannan Mundia The 2026 MSI lower bracket final will see Hanwha Life Esports take on LYON. Here’s our complete betting analysis and betting picks. After T1’s upset loss at the ongoing MSI tournament, G2 Esports was the next team to fall before reaching the lower bracket final. LYON looked extremely good against the LEC team, but does it have what it takes to take down arguably the strongest LCK team currently? Tournament: ...