- ESIC has lifted a suspension it imposed on CS:GO coach Anton Georgiev
- Coach Georgiev proved his innocence in the “spectator bug” controversy
- ESIC has covered the costs of the appeal and continues to examine all vantage points in such debates
Following the suspencion of 34 coaches in CS:GO, ESIC has reinstated a pair of coaches after seeing evidence of their innocence:
ESIC Rules Again in “Spectator Bug” Case
Cheating in esports and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been a well-established problem that has often mired even the highest levels of competitive play. A recent spectator bug citing 34 coaches for abusing an in-game flaw to feed dishonest information to their teammates, a practice that prompted the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) to suspend them from coaching duty and blacklist them from CS:GO.
However, not all was lost, and not all of those accused were guilty, and the case of Anton Georgiev is an example that in issuing blanket bans, ESIC may too be at fault. Georgiev has won a successful appeal of his suspension, arguing that he was not aware that the spectator bug existed and that the penalty he faced was “unduly excessive as to be unreasonable” in his statement to ESIC, which the commission approved.
As a result, Georgiev is back in combat and coaching CS:GO duty effective immediately, and ESIC has agreed to cover the costs of the veteran's appeal. Georgiev's word was not sufficient, though, and the coach provided proof that he had not used the bug intentionally.
The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear
Georgiev and fellow CS:GO coach Sergey “LMBT” Bezhanov have been both reinstated. This is good news for the integrity of esports as it demonstrated that ESIC is an objective ruler in sensitive issues. Recently, ESIC levied allegations against CS:GO teams Project X and Akuma, which the commission suspects of underhand practices.
In recent months, ESIC has been expanding its reach, securing new partnerships as it went along. The tie-up with PandaScore in May is already helping the commission rely on data to track suspicious activity and mandate further investigation.
Even law enforcement is in on the action with the FBI and Australian police treating anyone who fixes or tries to fix games in any recognized esports contest. The crackdown on professional video gaming may have come later, but it is certainly here to stay and punish wrongdoers.
Match-fixers better take heed or face serious penalties, from being suspended from competitive play to prison sentences.
