Richard Lewis stated that Team Falcons was interested in b1t and b1ad3—NAVI’s sports director, ami, denied his claims
Journalist Richard Lewis reported on Team Falcons’ attempts to sign Valery “b1t” Vakhovsky and Andrey “b1ad3” Gorodensky. According to him, the organization made offers to both Natus Vincere players, and the players themselves were reportedly interested in the move.
Lewis shared this information on The Four Horsemen podcast:
When the Falcons needed a mid-laner and it looked like they were about to sign him—I’m talking about b1t—they really did try to do so. NAVI said, “No way, b1t isn’t going anywhere.” I think this later surfaced on one of those insider accounts as well, where they wrote that the Falcons were trying to buy b1ad3 and b1t. They made an offer for them. That’s true. Whoever runs that account isn’t making things up—it’s really true. And b1t felt hurt because he was thinking something like, “I want to play with my friends. I also want to play on a team that wins world championships.”
Natus Vincere’s sports director, Amiran “ami” Rekhviashvili, responded to the journalist’s comments on his personal X account:
Hello, Mr. Richard Lewis.
Unfortunately, your information is incorrect.
1. The Falcons never contacted us regarding b1ad3’s transfer.
2. We received an offer to buy him out in 2024, immediately after we won the Major.
3. We never forced b1t to stay. He is happy at NAVI and has never asked to leave for any other organization.
And I’d like to add that b1t is one of the most important people in my life; he’s like a son to me. I won’t let anyone hurt him or see him unhappy.
In May, Richard Lewis published an in-depth investigation into the relocation of the 2026 Esports World Cup from Riyadh to Paris. According to the report, the decision to change the venue was accompanied by internal communication issues: some employees and contractors only learned of the tournament’s new location after the official announcement.
Photo by Adam Lakomy, ESL.
