The fan-favorite CSGO outfit has instated academy player Mikkel “MistR” Thomsen as a temporary replacement

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Astralis and their entry fragger Kristian “⁠k0nfig⁠” Wienecke have parted ways by mutual agreement. The news comes after the rifler was benched following an injury resulting from being physically assaulted in Malta. 

Astralis’ official Twitter confirmed the matter in an announcement saying, “Due to personal circumstances, Astralis and Kristian @k0nfig Wienecke have agreed on a cancellation of his contract.”

Furthermore, they thanked the player for his contribution to the team by saying, “We want to thank Kristian for the passion and dedication he invested in the team and organization on behalf of everyone at Astralis.”

The Danish team was staying in Malta following their embarrassing early exit from ESL Pro League Season 16 for the Regional Major Rankings of the upcoming IEM Rio Major. Following k0nfig’s injury, the team had to play without him and ended up crashing out of the European RMR A unceremoniously. These circumstances resulted in the organization missing its chance to participate in a Major for the first time since 2016, when it began its CSGO journey.

k0nfig’s Account

According to multiple reports from the CSGO esports news agency Jaxon, k0nfig received a complex fracture in his ankle after a fight with a bar representative in Malta. The 25-year-old has claimed these rumors are “mostly BS” and shared his side of the story in a long and sensitive post on TwitLonger. 

In that post, k0nfig stated that he went to a nightclub in Malta with his teammates. He stopped to get food first while the rest of his team went into the club. After half an hour, he attempted to enter the nightclub by asking the guy who claimed to be the owner if he could get inside to be with his friends. 

The man then allegedly verbally abused the player, berated him about his physical appearance, and was extremely rude and aggressive instead of rejecting him usually. k0nfig said he felt humiliated, so he argued back to defend himself. At this point, the man, who was standing on a staircase a few steps above Wienecke, spat on and kicked the latter’s face, causing him to fall and hurt his leg. 

k0nfig then claims that his assailant went inside the club with his bouncers, and when he emerged again, the rifler pursued him for a confrontation. Following that, the man committed further assault by breaking the player’s leg and kicking him in the head multiple times. 

He added that the incident left him hospitalized and requiring multiple surgeries, and he couldn’t feel safe before returning home. The doctors also warned him about traveling as he could go blind in the eye if it were exposed to fast-moving air. Thankfully this didn’t happen, and he has now returned home, but the physical and mental trauma hasn’t left him as of yet.

The player said that he regrets confronting the nightclub promoter for a second time. “I’m really sincerely sorry for failing you,” he said in his Twitlonger, “I’ll do anything to change it, but all I can do is never letting anything like this happen again in the future.” 

Wienecke also owned up to his mistakes, saying, “Actions have consequences and no one else is responsible for where I am today but myself.” 

The sincere apology of the 25-year-old has moved the CSGO community, including Astralis fans, even though he is no longer a part of the organization.

The player also talks about the uncertainty of his future following this incident, “The entire time I was hospitalized, thoughts have been in my mind. Is this the time to end my career? Is this it for me?” 

However, he followed this up with, “But this is nowhere near the end for me. I’m going to war against myself now. F*** no I’m not going anywhere.” 

Wienecke continued his resolute statement with self-motivation, saying, “I’ll turn this downfall into something positive. This is not who I am. I don’t give up.” 

He promised to do even better in the future. “I’ll do what’s needed to become the god-tier counterstrike player I know can be. I will take this time to work on the things that need to be worked on. I will do everything in my power to come back,” he said. You can read the full post on Twitlonger here.

After deciding to let go of k0nfig, the prospective lineup of Astralis is left in confusion. However, the organization has announced that it will continue with Mikkel “⁠MistR⁠” Thomsen for the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown since he played in k0nfig’s place at the IEM Rio Major qualifier in Malta. As for any news regarding Nicolai “device” Reedtz, Astralis are, at the time of writing, yet to reach an agreement with the player and his current organization, Ninjas in Pyjamas.