Swedish CS2 professional talent Joel “joel” Holmlund has been banned mid-tournament by Akros Anti-Cheat. While competing with his new BC.Game roster in the CCT Season 2 Europe Series 7, joel was detected and banned mid-series against B8.
This is not the first time joel has been involved in controversy in the CS scene. Almost a year ago, he was suspended for match-fixing by ESIC, with the suspension ending earlier this year. After a stint on TSM and 5w, he seemed to be back in form on the server. However, this recent ban puts a stain on his reputation.
joel’s Removal from BC.Game
Credit: Radosław Makuch | @theMAKKU
Upon learning about joel’s ban, several CS2 tournaments swiftly banned the entire BC.Game team from participating, including CCT, United TwentyOne, and European Pro League. BC.Game has taken joel off their active roster, stating that they want to support him until concrete evidence is presented. BC.Game’s coach, CS:GO legend GuardiaN, expressed surprise at the allegations against joel.
While BC.Game is conducting its own investigation, Akros Anti-Cheat has confirmed that it was not a false positive. The exact cheats joel is accused of using remain unclear.
Community Reaction to joel’s CS2 Ban
As a controversial figure in the CS2 community, many pro players reacted to joel’s ban. Some expressed lack of surprise, with NAVI’s jL and BetBoom’s KaiR0N- sarcastically commenting on the situation. Responses from players previously defeated by joel’s teams were also noted. RuStY, who had played with joel on GODSENT, raised concerns about alleged cheating during their time together.
The future steps for joel and BC.Game are uncertain. Hopefully, more transparency from Akros Anti-Cheat will shed light on the ongoing situation.
