CSPPA calls out cs_summit for player breaks during tournaments

Olivia Richman Published 25/06/2020

The Counter-Strike: Professional Players Association has responded to some teams’ complaints about recent tournament schedules.

At the cs_summit six Europe tournament, c0ntract coach Neil Murphy spoke up about the tournament organizer’s response to his request for a quick break.

“Two minutes after we won versus Complexity I asked for a 30 minute break,” Murphy tweeted. “It got blocked instantly. […] I can’t believe this is actually a reality.”

In an attached screenshot, Murphy asks for the TO admin to “be fair” and give them a break after their four hour game against Complexity Gaming, before their match versus Fnatic. He even notes that one player is feeling unwell. One of the players in the chat, Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, can also be seen asking for a 30-minute break, too.

TWO minutes after we won vs complexity i ask for a 30 minute break. It gets blocked instantly. We completed the veto at 19 past giving me and Snappi 12 minutes after the veto to connect & go live.

Can’t believe this is actually a reality :) pic.twitter.com/ANPQhvproZ
— Neil Murphy (@NeiL_Mcs) June 23, 2020

The admin later explains that the team received a 20-minute break, although Murphy explained it was only 10 minutes, since they spent part of it doing a map veto.

In a follow-up tweet, Murphy asks the TO if they care about player health. The admin states that they are simply following the event’s rulebook, which he stated the team “agreed to.”

“What rulebook, bro? You literally don’t care about what happened,” Murphy answers.

He then said he’s never experienced anything like this in his 10 years in the CSGO scene.

Luka “emi” Vukovic tweeted yesterday that his back was in “terrible condition,” one of the reasons the team had requested a break after the long game. He explained that all he needed was to lay down for thirty minutes.

When we finished the match, my back were in terrible condition , i had a headache and i was shaking like im about to get a fewer , all i needed was half an hour just to lay down a bit but BED
— Luka Vukovic (@emiicsgo) June 24, 2020

The CSGO community largely supported c0ntract and called out cs_summit for the way they dealt with the situation.

“Absolutely unacceptable,” CSGO coach Aleksandar Trifunovic tweeted. “Just reading the answers from this shithead admin makes me tilt so hard.”

Soon after, Trifunovic tagged the CSPPA.

Absolutely unacceptable , just reading the answers from this shithead admin makes me tilt so hard.
— Aleksandar Trifunovic (@kassad) June 24, 2020

CSPPA responds to cs_summit’s actions

When the CSPPA caught wind of what was happening at cs_summit, they released an official statement on Twitter emphasizing their recommendations for tournament scheduling.

According to the CSPPA, a team should be given a three-hour break between best-of-three matches if they are going to be playing more than two that day. The CSPPA stated that this is part of their Event Minimum Standards, which have already been adopted by several tournament organizers in the competitive CSGO scene.

“We encourage all TOs to adopt such rules and to avoid situations like this,” the CSPPA said.

The CSPPA Event Minimum Standards which has been adopted by several TOs include that if a team is scheduled to play 2 BO3s games in one day the tournament organizer shall ensure that the players have a break of minimum 3 hours… https://t.co/Fee8507qEC
— Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association (@CSPPAgg) June 24, 2020

This year, many tournaments have switched to online play instead of LAN. This has in some ways made the CSGO tournament schedule busier than ever. And many matches in these numerous tournaments are best-of-three series.

Since the CSPPA spoke up on Twitter, cs_summit hasn’t made a public statement on the situation with c0ntract. It’s still unclear if cs_summit and other prominent CSGO event organizers will implement these recommendations for future tournaments.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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