TheSlaSH: "[ocelote's income] numbers don't add up [...] the money is not there"

This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

In a teaser video for a forthcoming 'Reflections' episode, Alexander 'TheSlaSH' Müller, SK Gaming Managing Director, says that former player Carlos 'ocelote' Rodríguez Santiago's claims of making 600,000 Euros per year, largely from merchandising, "don't add up to what he refers to what he made from last year". Going through each item of the Spaniard's merchandising and other potential income sources, the SK boss explains that he doesn't see where the money could come from.

The former SK Gaming star made the statement as part of an interview with the technology section of Spanish site ABC.es, stating that he made between 600,000 and 700,000 Euros per year.

"I do not know if I should say. Well, but do me a favor and put it in a way that does not seem arrogant, because it really is that I'm not ... because only the average income merchandising million USD per year easy. That's like 70% of the total, because of this I have to add my salary, which won in tournaments, streaming my games and I get personal sponsors. In total I earn between 600,000 and 700,000 annually. But now is the time to save and help the family,"

-ocelote, speaking to ABC.es about his yearly income (translated from Spanish)

ocelote's former employer, TheSlaSH, explained that he had access to the numbers for ocelote's merchandising efforts and that the numbers "were not there":

"If you look at his shop and you look at his merchandise, what we have is: a scarf, a mousepad, the keykaps, the shoes.

[...]

Those four products, we produced them for him, we set him up with those and they all run, still today, on the SK Amazon shop, so we know all the numbers, so these numbers don't add up to what he refers to what he made from last year. The money from Riot, we all know that doesn't add up either. The money from SK, I have an imagination that it doesn't add up as well. I have a feeling for his streaming success... I don't see the money coming from that end.

Then he had a couple of personal sponsorships, appearances, what so ever, where I think he made some money. But, then again, digibet, I knew the deal back in the days, I don't see any of these other sponsorships or appearances he had bringing 500,000 for one appearance to the table. So, I have no clue, I can't tell you, it doesn't add up in my head either and I was responsible for a lot of what happened there with these numbers. I was just as astonished as you were, I was trying to do the math... it's not there, the money is not there. It's that simple."

-Alexander 'TheSlaSH' Müller, SK Gaming Managing Director, in a forthcoming episode of 'Reflections'.