FX has just announced via their website that they will be declining to use their autoberth. Instead, the team will attend their national qualifier and qualify the old-fashioned way. The decision was made when it was learned that numerous FX sponsors would be organizing the event. The FX website had this to say:

A week ago we informed You that Frag eXecutors’ Counter-Strike squad was invited for the Electronic Sports World Cup grand finals to defend their title from 2008: [ Frag eXecutors with an autoberth for ESWC 2010! ]. In the meantime it turned out that while having an invitation “the Golden Five” couldn’t take part in one of the most important Polish esports events of the year – ESWC Poland. It came our after a consutation with both main organiser – Games Solutions – and Beholder, the company which from this year is responsible for Polish qualifier. It confronted our team with a serious dilemma.

Eventually the Frag eXecutors’ board decided to turn down the direct invitation and instead play in the national qualifier. – We are a Polish team and we have to appear on the most important domestic tournaments – CS team’s manager Adrian “Ziggy” Witkowski explains. – We feel obliged to take part in them for our fans, the media and also teams’ sponsors.

Our original intention was to play in the national qualifier and keeping the spot in Paris finals. At first the organisers ensured us that our start is possible and does not mean losing the main tournament’s autoberth. We wanted to transfer the slot to another Polish team – or give away our prize trip. Unfortunately, the rules of Polish national qualifier and further decision change from the global organisers explictitly excluded us from playing in the qualifier and therefore forced us to make a choice between taking part in ESWC Poland and keeping the autoberth.

The finals will take place from 4th to 6th June in Warsaw – the venue wasn’t announced yet. They will be preceded with just beginning online qualifying in which, aside from Frag eXecutors, 120 (!) other teams will take part – including the female squads. That’s because the Polish organisers decided against making a separate qualifier for them.

To view the full release on their site, click here