The Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association (CSPPA) has commented on the recent punishments handed out to coaches by ESL and DreamHack.
Ricardo “dead” Sinigaglia from MIBR, HUNDEN from Heroic, and Aleksandr “MechanoGun” Bogatiryev from Hard Legion were banned by the tournament organizers yesterday after an investigation conducted by veteran esports referee Michal Slowinski found proof that they exploited a coach spectating bug at ESL One: Road to Rio or DreamHack Masters Spring Europe earlier this year. The bug allowed the coach of a team to become a spectator anywhere on the map.
The CSPPA has been in contact with ESL regarding the matter. The association said maintaining competitive integrity is “critical” and it supports that integrity violations lead to “proportionate punishment,” including to the players if any were involved in the exploit.
Dead received a six-month suspension for using the bug in one round, HUNDEN got a 12-month ban for using it in 10 rounds, and MechanoGun got the most severe punishment of the three—a two-year suspension—because he abused the bug in six maps. Some important figures in the community, such as Moses and Janko “YNk” Paunović, argued yesterday that dead’s punishment may have been excessive.
The CSPPA wants to ensure that any punishment is given based on the following process:
- The right to be heard (and presented with the allegations in question) before any final punishment is given.
- Access to appeal to an independent body.
- Punishment is given based on clear rules that have been communicated to players and coaches beforehand.
- Any punishment awarded is proportionate, considering that any punishment affects the livelihood of players/coaches.
“A clearer process would not only be beneficial for the players, but the entire CS:GO eco-system,” the CSPPA said. This is important because more coaches will potentially be punished in the future. Slowinski said yesterday that he’ll review 1,000 CS:GO demos from tier-two and three tournaments.
