CS:GO: S1mple Takes a Dig at Hard Legion in Response to the ‘Coach Bug’ Scandal

A lot has been said about the recent ‘coach bug’ scandal that scarred the entire CS:GO community. Cheating has always been a matter of grave concern but the fact that it has penetrated the competitive scene is rather exasperating.

ESL has successfully banned the three coaches involved in the scandal while the investigation is still underway. Another piece of news on this matter surfaced just a couple of days ago when former NiP coach Faruk “⁠pita⁠” Pita released a statement confessing that he exploited the bug back in 2018.

Evidence has suggested that Hard Legion’s Aleksandr “zoneR” Bogatiryev exploited the bug over a lot of major tournaments. ESL has handed him a two-year ban. There is a possibility that this number might be increased if more evidence is unearthed.

CS:GO: Players voice their opinion

There have been suggestions that the players are equally responsible and had prior knowledge of the coach’s actions. The IGL of Mousesports seems to be amongst those who hold this opinion. This opinion stemmed from Hard Legion’s match against Na’Vi at ESL One: Road to Rio. Michal Slowinski masterminded the investigation. He produced clips as evidence that helped ESL draw a temporary ban and he has proposed that it wasn’t just the NaVi match that suggested the players’ knowledge of the coach’s action.

Meanwhile, Hard Legion expressed their dismay through a public apology on TwitLonger. This message stated that the players had no prior knowledge and were unaware of the coach’s actions. The apology said, “In the course of the proceedings with the coach and the players, we tend to believe that the coach did not inform anyone about the fact that he has an advantage in the game. The players continued to play fair, ignoring the fact that the coach’s hints turned out to be extremely correct. We have no reason to believe that the players were aware of this “bug” in advance, so no sanctions on our part will be applied to the players”.

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostylie who plays for Na’VI commented on this. His post in Russian can be directly translated to, “Hmm, well, Hard Legion and morons, 100% of the players also knew the info, but I was thinking – how could such noobs beat us”.

S1mple’s comments stem from the harrowing defeat his team faced against Hard Legion that got them knocked out from the group stage itself.

Hard Legion’s assistant coach would face repercussions too

Michal has been investigating the matter and producing clips as evidence. He suggested that Hard Legion’s assistant coach Erik “AKIMOV” Akimov also exploited the bug.

More names might appear on the list. It is possible that the coaches might be handed an extended ban or the players might get banned as well. The investigation is still ongoing. It will be a few days before the CS:GO community gets a full report with a final decision.