View source for News/ESIC Reveals Astralis Ruling

{{News
|seo_title=ESIC Reveals Astralis Ruling
|seo_keywords=ESIC
|image=ESIC ES.PNG
|tags=ESIC
|date=2024-11-29T17:02:53.000Z
|sources={{NewsSource
|source=Hltv
|url=https://www.hltv.org/news/40404/esic-give-astralis-a-slap-on-the-wrist-for-blast-fall-final-integrity-violation
|article=News/ESIC Reveals Astralis Ruling
}}
|author=Andura
|category=Drama
|game=Counter Strike
|content=ESIC has ruled on its investigation into [[Companies/Astralis|Astralis]]' emergency substitution at the BLAST Premier Fall Final, imposing a $15,000 penalty on the team and ordering the forfeiture of their $10,000 prize earnings from the event.

The controversy stemmed from Astralis adding Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller to their roster as an emergency substitute, claiming that Alexander "⁠br0⁠" Bro was "unfit to play," which BLAST interpreted as a medical emergency, allowing the substitution under the event's eligibility rules. However, it was later revealed that br0 did not have a medical emergency, and Astralis had simply used ambiguous wording in their request without correcting BLAST after the announcement went public.

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Despite the lack of a medical emergency, the substitution was allowed to proceed, sparking community backlash. The seven in-game leaders from all other teams at the event protested the decision. ESIC's report noted that BLAST made a procedural error by accepting Astralis' substitution request without proper validation, relying only on the team's claims. This oversight led to a miscommunication, with BLAST announcing the substitution as medically justified despite the lack of evidence.

The watchdog's report also criticized Astralis' conduct: "Astralis benefitted from the misunderstanding and did not promptly correct BLAST’s miscommunication.
}}