Following NAVI’s victory in the Grand Finals of ESL Pro League S20, the team’s coach, B1ad3, has raised concerns about Turkish fans in the venue allegedly providing information to Eternal Fire during the match.
B1ad3 calls out Eternal Fire fans
Credit: ESLCS on X / Image modified by Daniel Morris
B1ad3 expressed his frustrations on social media, accusing fans of “shouting in Turkish, giving away our positions.” He mentioned a specific round where NAVI’s jL managed to win a clutch situation despite the crowd noise while EF’s MAJ3R attempted to defuse. A video clip of the incident was shared for reference.
B1ad3 sarcastically responded to the crowd with a thumbs-up after the clutch play. Another incident involving MAJ3R and w0nderful on Dust2 also received attention, with claims of crowd interference. However, a demo review revealed that w0nderful’s movement gave away their position, not the crowd reactions.
These remarks from B1ad3 sparked a response from members of the Eternal Fire camp. General Manager Sunvita claimed that NAVI fans outnumbered Eternal Fire fans in the venue and denied any audience interference. EF’s MAJ3R defended his team, stating that both teams faced challenges with fans’ behavior during the match.
Despite the competitive spirit between the teams, the situation escalated into a brief online exchange.
Who is responsible for preventing crowd interference?
Credit: Enos Ku | © ESL
Utilizing crowd information is a common strategy in Counter-Strike, but the close proximity of fans to players in ESL Pro League’s studio in Malta raises concerns. With players not in a soundproof booth, the potential for crowd interference is heightened.
Should ESL take more measures to address this issue? The difficulty of completely eliminating crowd cheating is acknowledged, but steps can be taken to minimize its impact. MAJ3R suggested that fans’ close experience should be restricted to prevent such incidents. Future tournament organizers can learn from EPL S20 and make adjustments to create a fair playing environment.
