ESL Bans "Krad"
Drama
22 January 2025 23:06
Vladislav "Krad" Kravchenko, pro player for 9Pandas, has been handed a two-week ban from ESL Challenger League (ECL) Season 49: Europe after using an in-game skin featuring an offensive sticker during a match on January 21.
The Desert Eagle skin displayed a series of stickers that, when combined, formed an obscene word. The issue went unnoticed until writer and podcaster Ludvig "quacke" Nilsson pointed it out on X, which led to widespread backlash from the CS2 community and prompted ESL to take action.
More:"yel" Joins 9z
Before the ban was confirmed, Krad took to X to clarify the situation, explaining that he had recently purchased the skin and hadn’t noticed the offensive message due to playing with a left-hand model, which mirrors the skin.
9Pandas later issued a statement in Russian, apologizing for the incident. The organization pledged to improve their pre-match checks and announced plans to train their players to prevent similar issues in the future.
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Drama
22 January 2025 23:06
Vladislav "Krad" Kravchenko, pro player for 9Pandas, has been handed a two-week ban from ESL Challenger League (ECL) Season 49: Europe after using an in-game skin featuring an offensive sticker during a match on January 21.
The Desert Eagle skin displayed a series of stickers that, when combined, formed an obscene word. The issue went unnoticed until writer and podcaster Ludvig "quacke" Nilsson pointed it out on X, which led to widespread backlash from the CS2 community and prompted ESL to take action.
More:"yel" Joins 9z
Before the ban was confirmed, Krad took to X to clarify the situation, explaining that he had recently purchased the skin and hadn’t noticed the offensive message due to playing with a left-hand model, which mirrors the skin.
9Pandas later issued a statement in Russian, apologizing for the incident. The organization pledged to improve their pre-match checks and announced plans to train their players to prevent similar issues in the future.
Related news
View AllGoing back to Beijing after a long time.. ESL has confirmed IEM Beijing 2026 as the closing event on its...
More
May 26, 2026
TL;DR * Automobili Lamborghini has signed a long-term partnership with ESL FACEIT Group as the Official Automotive Partner for DreamHack...
Business
May 13, 2026
TL;DR * ESL has announced a streaming partnership with Kick, adding the platform as a broadcast home for ESL Pro...
Business
Apr 15, 2026
TL;DR * Tundra Esports claimed the ESL One Birmingham 2026 title with a 3-1 grand final victory over Team Yandex...
More
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TL;DR * ESL has committed over $11.45 million to CS2 teams and players across the 2027 ESL Pro Tour circuit,...
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Mar 27, 2026