Team Spirit has announced that it has removed coach Airat “Silent” Gaziev from its active roster. News of the departure was revealed across Team Spirit’s social media on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
Silent had been the coach of Team Spirit for just under five years, first joining the squad in 2021. Together with the team, Silent had been a part of two TI-winning rosters, both in 2021, and 2023.
Silent’s credentials are hard to match. Outside of the likes of Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling, the only other two time coaching TI-winner, there’s few coaches that could be considered all-time greats in Dota 2. But Silent’s multiple Major, EWC, and TI-wins put him in contention.
In their announcement, Team Spirit thanked Gaziev and wished him the best.
“During all this time we’ve known Airat, not just as a brilliant professional, but also as a good friend and great person.
This is not goodbye and we wish Airat success in professional and personal life.”
It’s unknown at the time of writing who will replace Gaziev. Team Spirit requested fans follow the org’s upcoming announcements and keep supporting them.
The move comes during a time of change for Team Spirit. With midlaner Denis “Larl” Sigitov out for the next six weeks, the team was already working with a depleted roster. Since October, the team has also been without veteran captain and two-time TI-winner Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov, who went on a competitive break, being replaced by Nikita “Panto” Balaganin.
In effect, this is a very different team to the roster that won TI10 and TI12. Only Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk, one of the greatest carry players of all time, remains from that core group. Whether this is a new era for Team Spirit, or a slide into decline, only time can tell.
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Featured Image Credit: PGL
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