The infamous CSGO bug that got 37 coaches banned still exists

Fariha Bhatti Published 18/05/2021

Valve has rolled out several patch updates over the past few months, but one particularly significant bug is still active in the game.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rarely has game-breaking bugs, but a recent spectator glitch rocked the esports scene. CSGO coach and analyst Sergey “lmbt” Bezhanov highlighted that controversial coach bug can still be triggered during a game.

How the fuck it’s still there? Wasn’t in a coach sport for a while but now I see this ?!!!! @CSGO I though it was fixed… pic.twitter.com/GbkpiUqDhj
— Sergey LMBT Bezhanov (@LMBT_CSGO) May 15, 2021

It was clearly not coincidence, as MAD LION’s coach Jakub “kuben” Gurczyński confirmed that he came across the spectator bug as well.

Had it yesterday in a Pracc too. Coaching got fucked yesterday. Now you can join coach only during 1v1 warmups ????‍♂️
— Jakub Gurczyński (@kuben_tt) May 15, 2021

The CSGO spectator bug became widely known as a coaching bug that ruined careers in 2020. The long-standing glitch could be triggered during professional matches, which would allow the spectator a bird’s eye view of the entire map. The vantage point would help teams decipher enemies’ strategies and ultimately gain an edge with the coach’s help.

Dozens of coaches exploited the glitch over the years and intentionally kept it under wraps until Wisła Kraków’s coach Mariusz ‘Loord’ Cybulski made it public in August 2020. The revelation triggered a major investigation by Esports Integrity Commission and several other private inquiries. As a result, 37 coaches were banned by the watchdog for different periods based on the severity of abuse. LMBT was also one of the coaches held accountable, but his sanction was reverted upon further investigation.

The ban was of crucial importance as Valve also noticed and officially banned select coaches from major events following ESIC’s sanction. The developer had also patched up the bug as soon as it was brought to attention, but LMBT’s recent clip says otherwise.

The coach revealed a clip from Mirage where he clearly viewed the map’s entire middle area, similar to the recent spectator bug. LMBT stressed that the bug is, in fact, still working in the game, which is alarming. The players were just as surprised as Valve had promised that the bug had long been fixed.

The developer still hasn’t responded to the clip, but a patch could be expected soon. This is a major threat to professional games, especially during the online era where maintaining in-game integrity can be challenging enough for the organizers without having to monitor bugs like this one. With Regional Major Ranking events underway, the spectator bug is another game away from triggering a second coach ban wave similar to 2020.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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