The story of GAM’s salary and bonus debts is nothing new, and just recently, former coach Tinikun has revealed more information regarding this issue through a post on his personal page.
Accordingly, Kiaya is known as the next player who has been owed bonuses by GAM Esports since the previous season, and it seems he has only recently received payment.
The posted message timestamps from June 23, combined with Tinikun’s status content, lead us to understand as follows: GAM Esports owes a bonus of 35 million VND from the previous season (likely VCS Spring 2020), and as of June 23, this amount had not yet been paid.
Kiaya has confirmed that he has not received this money in a reply message. In fact, due to the bonus debt issue, Kiaya also has a desire to leave GAM Esports. To retain this player, GAM must pay Kiaya the previous season’s bonus.
The disclosure of GAM Esports’ salary and bonus debts by Tinikun has happened in the past, notably in the case of Zeros. This is also believed to be one of the reasons why Ma Vương parted ways with the team. With so many stars on the roster, it’s understandable that the salary fund has ballooned beyond the ownership’s ability to pay, regardless of how many sponsors GAM has. It is estimated that the salary fund for this team with its lineup during the spring could reach up to half a billion VND each month.
While GAM’s salary and bonus debts are one issue, the reaction of VCS fans to Tinikun’s actions has been quite surprising. Many gamers, instead of discussing GAM’s issues, have criticized the former coach.
Some opinions suggest that whether GAM has debts or not is an internal matter for the team, and since Tinikun is no longer with GAM, he should not speak on this issue. Most current salary debt stories of GAM are revealed by players who have a close relationship with Tinikun, and it can affect many issues within the team.
Conversely, many people also believe that Tinikun is right to speak out. As someone who once guided Zeros and Kiaya, witnessing his younger peers not being treated fairly for their efforts in competition is a completely valid reason for the former coach to raise his voice.
