Three CS:GO Players Banned for Cheating in European Minor Qualifier
In the recent online open European Minor qualifier for the ELEAGUE Boston Major, three CS:GO players were banned for cheating. The players include KerZe of Team Optimistic, Ciocardau of Invictus Aquilas, and SodaH of PlanetenOG.
Details of the Bans
CEVO, the server client host, convicted the players of cheating during their online qualifier matches. KerZe’s ban was issued by the client’s anti-cheat, while Ciocardau’s ban was manually given by CEVO after his account review. It is unclear whether CEVO’s anti-cheat played a role in all three bans.
Disqualification and Match Overturn
As a result of the player bans, Team Optimistic, Invictus Aquilas, and PlanetenOG were disqualified from the European Minor qualifier. CEVO overturned all the matches played by PlanetenOG due to their long bracket run.
Controversy and Twitter Defense
Invictus Aquilas defended Ciocardau’s integrity on Twitter, calling his ban a “huge breach of trust from CEVO.” They also shared links to their player’s demos to prove his innocence. SodaH, who has been banned before on CEVO’s client, was involved in a heated exchange of words during the match between PlanetenOG and LPSP.
It is important for CS:GO fans that instances of cheating are avoided in the later stages of the ELEAGUE Major: Boston and future online qualifier matches in other tournaments.