FaZe back RobbaN after “unwarranted” CSGO coaching bug ban

FaZe Clan have backed former CS:GO coach Robert ‘RobbaN’ Dahlström after he disputed his punishment from ESIC’s coaching bug scandal ruling. 

On August 31, the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene was rocked after three coaches – Dead, HUNDEN, and MechanoGun – were hit with bans by ESL for abusing an in-game bug that allowed them to have full view of parts of the map.

As a result of those initial bans, an investigation was put into place to determine just how many other coaches were involved. 

In the first wave of results, 37 coaches were named as having abused the bug – with some bans lasting as long as three-years. However, former FaZe coach RobbaN has denied his involvement despite being handed a five-and-a-half month ban for apparently using it in 2017.

The former 1.6 player issued a statement on Twitter to deny having used the bug purposefully, adding that when it initially appeared, he did all he could to get rid of it – including muting himself and informing the admins, which he claims to have screenshots of.

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“Unfortunately, some of you might still think I abused this bug. I’ve been around the CS community for 20 years more or less, see myself as a very loyal guy… and now my name is listed among others who actually abused and cheated, which makes me feel sick,” he said. “I feel I’m being punished for something I did not do and that it should be obvious in my case.”

The Swede added: “Now, three years later, I am getting punished for a bug that I did not want, tried to get rid of before the match, muted myself in an effort to be fair, and immediately wrote about it with concern to the admin.”

FaZe Clan also moved to back their coach not long after he released his TwitLonger, stating they were “disappointed” in the process that led to this conclusion. 

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“We stand behind Robert. Upholding the integrity of competition means everything to us & we’re glad an issue he brought up 3 years ago is finally being addressed, but his ban is entirely unwarranted given the facts,” they said. 

A handful of coaches involved in the scandal has also moved to apologize on Twitter, with plenty owning up to using the bug – no matter had they done so for one round or multiple games. 

These bans have been handed out by ESIC and mean that the coaches will be unable to interact with their teams, but it remains to be seen as to wheter or not Valve will hand out sterner punishments – including any changes to the global coaching rules.