HOURS BEFORE the start of the M4 World Championship, Burn X Flash's Coach John Michael "Zico" Dizon announced on his Facebook page that he has been hit by COVID-19.
As a result, Zico will miss the group stages.
"It is with a heavy heart to announce that I would not be able to join the group stage this coming M4 (January 1-4) because I have been tested positive for COVID, hence, I need to be quarantined for 5 days as safety protocol."
Luckily for the Cambodian squad, the Filipino import coach can still contribute to the team. While he wouldn't be available in the LAN setup, he can still showcase his strategic prowess online.
"On a lighter note, the organization allowed me to draft and coach online and I will do my best to help the team to the best of my ability. I will bounce back stronger and I hope you support the team a little bit more this time as we need your strength to get us through," he went on.
Prior to his Facebook announcement, Zico had already hinted about his condition on Twitter.
Burn X Flash and Coach Zico to represent Cambodia in M4
Burn X Flash will kick off their campaign on January 1, where they'll be facing dark horse contenders, Falcon Esports at around 7 p.m. Then on January 3, they'll continue their campaign with two matches against Turkey's Incendio Supremacy and the defending MPL-PH champs, Blacklist International.
Teams will not be eliminated during the group phases.
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