TL;DR
- CSGO coaching bug allowed aerial map view cheating since 2015, now patched
- 10+ coaches banned by ESL with suspensions ranging from 6 months to 2 years
- Freelance referees uncovered widespread abuse through thousands of demo reviews
- Teams lost Regional Ranking points, affecting Major championship qualifications
- Ongoing ESIC investigation likely to reveal additional offenders
The competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive landscape experienced unprecedented turmoil when revelations emerged about a systematic coaching exploit that compromised match integrity across multiple tournaments and regions.
Originally appearing as a temporary graphical glitch resolvable through server reboots, this vulnerability evolved into an intentional cheating mechanism when coaches discovered they could trigger it deliberately. The exploit granted coaches a strategic aerial perspective of the entire map, enabling real-time tracking of opposing team movements and positions—a decisive competitive advantage in tactical shooters.
While some coaches claimed accidental activation with minimal usage, evidence revealed widespread intentional exploitation that remained undetected for years due to insufficient reporting mechanisms and oversight gaps in tournament administration.
The scandal’s exposure resulted from meticulous investigative work by freelance referees Michal Slowinski and Steve Dudenhoeffer, who independently analyzed thousands of competitive match recordings to identify suspicious coaching behavior patterns.
We still are not finished, but so far we’ve got confirmed cases of coach bug abuse going back to Q3 2015.
This means there has been five years of potential abuse, all because nobody wanted to publicly report it.
— Steve Dudenhoeffer (@steveduden)
September 16, 2020
Their forensic examination revealed the exploit’s usage timeline extended back to 2015’s third quarter, indicating five years of potential competitive integrity compromise. The extended timeline highlights systemic failures in esports governance and the critical need for independent oversight bodies like the Esports Integrity Coalition.
Common investigation patterns showed that offenders typically exploited the bug during critical tournament moments, particularly in elimination matches or Major qualification deciders where strategic advantages provided maximum competitive benefit.
List of CSGO coaches and teams found using CSGO coaching exploit
- Aleksandr “MechanoGun” Bogatiryev – Received two-year ESL competitive ban and termination from Hard Legion Esports
- Nicholai “HUNDEN” Petersen – Suspended for one year by ESL and removed from Team Heroic coaching staff
- Ricardo “dead” Sinigaglia – Six-month ESL suspension leading to release from MIBR organization
- Aset “K23” Sembiyev – Officially suspended by K23 management pending further investigation
- Ivan “F_1N” Kochugov – Suspended by Gambit Youngsters competitive roster
- Slaava “Twista” Rasanen – Removed from ENCE coaching position following exploit confirmation
- Allan “Rejin” Petersen – Publicly admitted utilizing the bug during tenure with mousesports
- Arthur “prd” Resende – Acknowledged exploit usage while coaching Red Canids
- Faruk “pita” Pita – Confessed to bug exploitation under Ninjas in Pyjamas organization
- Peter “casle” Sørensen – Admitted intentional activation during Team Singularity matches
The sanctions reflect varying degrees of offense severity, with punishment duration correlating to evidence of intentional exploitation versus claimed accidental activation. Teams faced additional competitive consequences beyond individual coach penalties.
Organizations discovered using the coaching exploit in Regional Ranking tournaments suffered complete revocation of accumulated circuit points, creating significant setbacks for teams positioned to qualify for CSGO Major championships through point accumulation.
An update on Majors and coaching:
https://t.co/OEjakj9Zsv— CS:GO (@CSGO)
September 9, 2020
The points revocation proved particularly devastating for bubble teams on the cusp of Major qualification, effectively eliminating their championship aspirations for the competitive season.
As the community awaits final ESIC investigation results, industry analysts anticipate additional coaching suspensions as evidence review continues. The scandal has prompted tournament organizers to implement stricter demo recording requirements and coach position monitoring protocols to prevent future exploitation.
Updated September 18, 2020.
Action Checklist
- Review all tournament demos for suspicious coaching camera behavior patterns
- Implement mandatory coach position recording during all official matches
- Establish clear reporting protocols for suspected exploitation incidents
- Verify all coaching software complies with latest anti-cheat patch requirements
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