France Manager YellOwStaR Addresses Caliste–Hans Sama Debate and CS2 Constraints for ZywOo and apEX at Esports Nations Cup

Appearing this Monday, April 9 on a podcast hosted on Arthur Perticoz’s channel, former CEO of Karmine Corp, Bora “YellOwStar” Kim, national manager for France at the Esports Nations Cup, discussed several topics surrounding his involvement and role. Alongside talking about his early $3,500 salaries at Fnatic in 2013, his time as Head of Esports at PSG eSports, and his coaching work with LDLC OL from 2017 to 2020, the former French player notably revisited discussions about a potential botlane duo between Caliste “” Henry-Hennebert and Steven “” Liv, as well as the participation of top stars in Counter-Strike.

Initially brought up by Romain Bigeard, manager of G2 Esports in the LEC, during the French podcast En Bref, the possibility of this unlikely duo between the two French AD carries resurfaced in a recent interview of Caliste with L'Équipe. “Our perfect plan is to play together and be able to swap roles between games,” he explained, while adding that he did not know, at the time of his answer a few weeks ago, how the selection process would work. He then added, “for now we are not very hyped, but if it can happen, why not.”

As a result, Arthur Perticoz revisited this case with the national manager, YellOwStar, recently appointed by the Esports Foundation. While the former expressed the possibility that, if this botlane does not happen, one of the ADCs could end up as a substitute, the French manager somewhat shut down that option, stating that the two possible substitutes per nation will not be able to travel to Saudi Arabia for the competition. This makes the selection of the five active players a much more crucial and decisive choice than it might have seemed.

“But they are not the ones deciding,” YellOwStar began jokingly, making it clear that players “can choose whether to play or not,” but that they do not have a particular impact on the final selection. “Refusing to play for France while you are available is not disrespectful, but it is a choice that should, in my opinion, come with justification, or at least be based on sound reasoning,” he added. With that aside, the French manager returned to the topic of player selection, explaining that even though he knows the game very well, he “will not impose decisions.”

“I have a coach, and I have to work with him and the players around him,” YellOwStar explained, noting that while there are already some clear consensuses based on results, nothing has been finalized. Among the names that seem widely agreed upon, YellOwStar strongly hinted that Rudy “” Semaan will be part of the roster, stating during a discussion about the French jungler that “for that role, it is settled.” Finally, the former Fnatic support in the LCS EU returned to the botlane topic, explaining that he spoke with Hans Sama after Caliste’s comments and that the G2 Esports player was more measured.

Regardless of what the two players think, the French manager was clear: “Even if it could create buzz, that is not what we are here for, we are here for performance.” He doubled down by saying that “it is important for national pride to achieve the best possible result.” In conclusion, YellOwStar confirmed that nothing has been decided yet, except for the coach, and that they have until April 30 to make a decision.

Counter-Strike 2 is one of the special cases of the ENC, at least for this first 2026 edition. Like Apex Legends, it is another title where there will be no national team selected by a manager and a chosen coach. Instead, all 96 countries selected by the Esports Foundation for CS2 will first have to go through a local qualification tournament, which will determine the team representing the country. That team will then have to play a continental qualifier against other teams that went through the same system, ultimately deciding the 24 nations participating in the final LAN.

However, the biggest issue is the schedule. The final stage is set to take place between November 10 and 15, just after IEM China, alongside BLAST Rivals Fall, and right before the PGL Major Singapore, making the participation of some of the world’s top players unlikely. As a result, for France, YellOwStar stated in the podcast that “the probability of seeing Zywoo (Mathieu Herbaut) or Apex (Dan Madesclaire) is very low.” “We are going to impact the competitive circuit of the season […] players are paid by their clubs throughout the year, so naturally the priority goes to them,” he explained.

For him, the format is also problematic. “Let’s imagine that apEX and ZywOo wanted to participate, they would have had to go through a qualification tournament in France, which is a bit absurd.” The issue is not limited to France. Around 32 teams take part in the Major, with 16 teams in the first stage alone, starting on November 25, just ten days after the end of the competition in Saudi Arabia. It is therefore difficult to imagine that the biggest names in CS esports, ranked in the top 30 of the HLTV rankings or the Valve Ranking System, would take a few days off just before one of the two most important events of the year. The Major can represent a massive financial opportunity for both players and their organizations through stickers.

In addition to these topics, YellOwStar also reflected on his appointment. Being the only person managing the entire French selection, he said he had “raised the alarm” to the Esports Foundation. “I am still missing a lot of elements,” he added, explaining that even with some support, it is difficult to handle both the competitive side and the promotion of the event in France.

Indeed, despite being a major esports nation, France did not manage to submit a suitable application for the National Team Partner role, at least not one that satisfied the EF. He remained reassuring, stating that he is doing his best on the competitive side and believes France can achieve strong results at the Esports Nations Cup, adding that as long as there is no solution, he is “making the effort for the good of the country.”