Sources: Bwipo won't play for French Flair next year due to the veteran's rule

Trayton’s team, French Flair, surprised fans by announcing a star-studded roster (for ERLs) featuring Toplaner Adam “Adam” Maanane, Jungler Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau, Midlaner Lucas “Saken” Fayard, AD Carry Thomas “3XA” Foucou, and Support Raphaël “Targamas” Crabbé.

Initially invited to the newly formed LFL Invitational, the team will still be eligible to qualify for the EMEA Masters Winter Split and potentially join the remainder of the 2026 LFL season, provided they meet the qualification criteria during Winter.

Just days after the roster reveal on December 3rd, an unexpected complication emerged. Although the lineup was validated by the league and even posted on its official channels, it was later discovered that French Flair’s roster does not comply with ERL rules.

The issue stems from the presence of three veteran players—Adam, Bwipo, and Targamas. Under the ERL rulebook, a veteran is defined as:

“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.”

Article 3.1.5 clearly states that an ERL starting lineup may include no more than two such veterans. Initially missed by both the team and the organisers, the rule is now being strictly enforced by Riot Games and Webedia, forcing French Flair to make a change.

As a result, the team has decided to remove Bwipo, the only non-native French speaker, from the starting roster. This information was shared by Trayton on stream and confirmed by sources to Sheep Esports.

To replace Bwipo, French Flair will organise tryouts and is prioritising a French jungler. One candidate currently under consideration is Theo “Theocacs” Sauda, the 18-year-old former player of Ici Japon Corp. His arrival, however, is not guaranteed.

Situations like this have happened before in the ERL ecosystem. Two years ago, SuperMassive had to swap out Ersin “Blue” Gören after rules determined he was not a Turkish resident. Similarly, Mongolian jungler Ganbat “Yuuji” Ulziidelger struggled to join an LCS team after his residency was classified as EMEA despite spending his entire career in North America.