The banned coaches in the esports industry were suspected of exploiting the ‘spectator bug’ in CS:GO. This bug allowed them to freely move around game maps during competitive gameplay, gathering information about their opponents’ positions and sharing it with their teams.
One of the coaches, known as ‘LMBT’, was the coach for the professional CS:GO team Forze. Initially, LMBT faced a ban of 7.5 months. However, after appealing the decision and providing supporting evidence in the form of documents, videos, and testimonials from third parties, the commissioner of the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) was convinced that LMBT was not actively exploiting the bug during two of the suspected cases, as he was not present at his computer.
In the remaining two cases, LMBT disconnected in a timely manner and sought assistance from the administrators, ensuring that he did not gain any unfair advantage through the exploit. As a result, ESIC lifted the sanctions immediately, allowing LMBT to resume coaching teams participating in ESIC member events.
During its investigation, which began in September, ESIC issued professional bans to several coaches. These bans prevented them from communicating with their teams from 15 minutes prior to the start of official matches until their completion. The duration of these bans varied, ranging from 4 months to 3 years. Additionally, the coaches were prohibited from being present around their teams during matches, accessing the game server, participating in the official map veto process, or communicating with their teams during the process.
ESIC anticipates completing its comprehensive investigation by the end of October. At that time, they will release an additional report detailing their findings.
