In a tweet on June 25, 2021, Konami Mahjong Fight Club stated that the contracts of Sasaki Hisato and Takamiya Mari have been renewed, while the contracts of both Maehara Yudai (前原雄大) and Fujisaki Satoshi (藤崎智) have been terminated.
In a reply to the tweet, the team management stated that they are taking serious the fact that they have not been able to win a championship over the past three years. They thanked Maehara and Fujisaki for their contributions and teachings over the past three years.
Maehara Yudai was drafted in the first M-League draft in 2018 as a 3rd round pick. He had gotten a positive result in both the 2018 and the 2019 season (84.8pt and 80.3pt, respectively), but ended the 2020 season with -251.8pt, placing 26th out of 30.
Maehara told everyone that he doesn’t regret a single moment of being part of the team and that he will continue to be part and support the new family.
Fujisaki was drafted in the 2019 M-League Draft as the team’s 4th player. He got -65.5pt in his first season and -164.8pt in his second season, placing 22nd out of 30.
Fujisaki thanked fans for their support and hopes that they continue to support Konami Mahjong Fight Club
Tweets of thanks and gratitude came from M-League members, both inside and outside of the club.
With the announcement coinciding with a fan thanksgiving event, Sasaki and Takamiya were able to give Maehara and Fujisaki farewell bouquets.
With the termination, Konami Mahjong Fight Club will get two draft picks in the M-League 2021 Draft that will be happening in August.
As for Maehara and Fujisaki, both of them become free agents, meaning that any team that has a draft pick can draft them.
The M-League Watch team would like to wish both of them good luck on their future mahjong ventures.
M-League Watch 