LoL - LFL: French Flair might not respect ERL's rule about Veterans

Is there a problem with French Flair’s LFL lineup? For his debut in the LFL, Jean "TraYtoN" Medzadourian went all-in, assembling a star-studded roster. Selected as one of the two "influencer" slots reserved for the LFL Invitational, he brought together five players who have either competed at the highest level in the LEC or dominated the ERLs: Adam "Adam" Maanane, Gabriël "Bwipo" Rau, Lucas "Saken" Fayard, Thomas "3XA" Foucou, and Raphaël "Targamas" Crabbé . His goal is clear: prove that all five belong in the LEC. Yet this ambition appears to have run into a regulatory roadblock.

But while the roster built by streamer Jean "TraYtoN" Medzadourian for the LFL Invitational has been met with excitement, fans have pointed out a potential rulebook issue concerning the team’s composition and ERL regulations. French Flair currently includes three players classified as "veterans" according to Riot Games’ ERL rulebook—even though the rules explicitly state that an ERL team may field a maximum of two veterans.

According to Article 3.1.5 of the official ERL rulebook: "An ERL Starting Line-up cannot include more than two Veteran Players at a time." To understand who qualifies as a veteran, another section of the rulebook clarifies: "A Player who has participated in more than 50% of eligible matches in a Professional League (LEC, LCS, LPL, LCK, etc.) in at least three of the last five completed splits."

This situation corresponds to three players from the current roster. Adam has been playing in the LEC for the past three years, as has Targamas, who spent the last two seasons with Karmine Corp. Bwipo spent two years with FlyQuest in LCS and then LTA. This places French Flair’s lineup in direct conflict with ERL roster rules.

Will the rule change, or will French Flair be forced to replace one of its players? There is no answer yet. This discrepancy could force the team to make roster changes or prompt Riot Games or the LFL to adjust the regulations to allow the current lineup to compete as intended. However, this is not the first controversy surrounding the team. Many fans from other LFL organizations have voiced frustration over the perception that TraYtoN can circumvent salary cap restrictions—rules that the rest of the league must follow—while still signing players of this calibre.