Illegal coaching exploit was used by at least 10 CSGO teams

M Alzamora Published 18/09/2020

News of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s coaching exploit has rocked the competitive scene, with up to 15 teams being investigated by the Esports Integrity Coalition for cheating.

The exploit has been patched out of the game, but it originally started as a simple bug that was fixed with a server restart. At some point, someone realized that it could be triggered intentionally in order to give coaches a bird’s eye view of the map, which allowed them to track the enemy team. Some coaches who have admitted to using the exploit said they found themselves stuck in the position unintentionally and used it minimal times without ever triggering it on purpose. Others, however, were caught after freelance referees Michal Slowinski and Steve Dudenhoeffer independently reviewed “thousands of demos” to catch the offenders. Continued work by both has revealed it has been used since at least 2015.

Below is a list of teams and coaches that have been punished for using the bug.

List of CSGO coaches and teams found using CSGO coaching exploit

• Aleksandr “MechanoGun” Bogatiryev – Two year ESL Ban, fired from Hard Legion Esports
• Nicholai “HUNDEN” Petersen – One year ban ESL Ban, suspended from Team Heroic
• Ricardo “dead” Sinigaglia – Six-month ESL Ban, released by MIBR
• Aset “K23” Sembiyev – suspended by K23
• Ivan “F_1N” Kochugov – suspended by Gambit Youngsters
• Slaava “Twista” Rasanen – suspended by ENCE
• Allan “Rejin” Petersen – admitted to using bug under mousesports
• Arthur “prd” Resende – admitted to using bug under Red Canids
• Faruk “pita” Pita – admitted to using bug under Ninjas in Pyjamas
• Peter “⁠casle⁠” Sørensen – admitted to using bug under Team Singularity

Any team that was found to be using the exploit in a Regional Ranking tournament had all of its tournament points revoked, a hard it for the teams that were positioned to reach the next CSGO major.

As fans wait for the results of the ESIC investigation, it’s more likely than not that more coaches will be implicated in the investigation. 

Updated September 18, 2020.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

View full profile

Read Also

Counter-Strike

XSE Pro League 2026 in China: Teams, format and prize pool Owen Harsono Counter-Strike is back after the IEM Cologne Major, as the XSE Pro League 2026 is the first notable event since then. 16 teams book flights to China to compete in the million-dollar event. Here’s everything you need to know about the XSE Pro League 2026 event. Top-tier Counter-Strike returns to the passionate grounds of China, as the event will take place in the city of Guangzhou. Teams will play in ...

Esports Betting

Will Valve add Cache in the CS2 Premier Season 5 Active Duty map pool? Wasif Ahmed Following the highly anticipated return of Cache to Counter-Strike 2 earlier this season, the competitive community has almost started believing that the legendary industrial map would soon make its way into the Active Duty map pool for Premier Season 5. This expectation followed a pattern set by Train, which Valve brought back late last year before quickly pushing it into the main professional tournament rotation. However, in a recent Twitter ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Grand Final: Team Falcons vs FURIA best betting predictions Owen Harsono Coming into the IEM Cologne Major, nobody would have expected a grand final series between Team Falcons and FURIA, but here we are. Will NiKo finally win his first Major, or will FalleN win another one before retiring at the end of the year? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Grand Final predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-five Betting tip: Team Falcons ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit vs Team Falcons IEM Cologne Major: betting predictions and picks Owen Harsono We’re in for a treat, as Team Spirit will take on Team Falcons for a spot in the IEM Cologne Major grand final. Will NiKo finally get another shot at winning a Major, or will donk and company prevent him from accomplishing his lifelong goal? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Semi-Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-three Betting ...

Counter-Strike

Vitality vs Falcons betting predictions and best picks: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Owen Harsono We’re treated to a possible grand final matchup here in the quarterfinal of the IEM Cologne Major, with Team Vitality taking on Team Falcons in an elimination match. These are two of the highest-profile teams in the game right now, but only one of them can continue their chase for the trophy. Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Vitality vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs preview: matchups & predictions Owen Harsono The top eight teams at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major are set. Most of the favorites easily secured their spots, but we also have promising underdogs sneaking into the bracket. To keep you up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major playoffs. We started with 32 teams and are now only down to eight. After a grueling Stage 3, teams have been seeded into ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Playoffs Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...