CS2 Scandal: Clutchain Project Owes ScreaM, Nivera, and Women’s Roster Around €68,000

Ambitious esports project Clutchain, which signed rosters this spring led by Counter-Strike stars Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom and his brother Nabil “Nivera”, has suffered a financial collapse. According to an investigation by HLTV, the organization owes players from its men’s and women’s divisions around €68,000 (approximately $79,000 at current exchange rates) in unpaid salaries and prize money.

€30,000 Monthly Budgets and 30 App Users

The startup made a loud entrance into the scene in April: first, the club signed the women’s roster Pigeons, and then unveiled a men’s lineup that, alongside the Benrlitom brothers, included former Vitality player Jason “Kyojin” Nguyen. The men’s team was guaranteed a monthly budget of €30,000: half of that amount was earmarked for salaries, and the other half for bootcamp rentals and logistics.

Financial discipline crumbled almost immediately: after March payments, transfers stopped. To date, the debt to the men’s roster exceeds €40,000, while the women’s roster is short €28,000 in salaries and $2,600 in earned prize money. Moreover, the guys had to pay an additional €4,000 out of pocket for a slot in the ESEA Advanced league, as the organization transferred only a fifth of the entry fee.

In a detailed HLTV feature, company founder David Sacha attributed the financial hole to commercial failure. Management’s idea was that media-friendly esports players would draw audiences to the Clutchain mobile app. In reality, after burning through over €100,000 on salaries, the service attracted fewer than 30 active users per month. Players, in turn, accused leadership of having no marketing plan or technical support whatsoever.

Fake Co-Ownership and the End of ScreaM’s Career

There was also a job-title manipulation: ScreaM and Nivera openly called themselves co-founders of Clutchain, but legally the brothers held no equity in the business and had no signing authority. All promises about stock options remained just words.

Payment delays upended the lives of team members:

• On September 4, Nivera officially terminated his contract with the club;
• One player, unable to make ends meet, moved out of his rented apartment back to his parents;
• Another member left esports and took a full-time job outside gaming;
• For ScreaM himself, this roster will likely mark the final chapter in a long professional career.

Clutchain’s head denies any malicious intent, blaming the situation on managerial incompetence. The company plans to wind down its roster operations and focus on renting physical bootcamp capsules, leaving esports players facing months of unpaid debts.