MIBR Fined $10,000 by Flashpoint for “Breach of Competitive Integrity“

Esports organization MiBR has received a $10,000 fine from Flashpoint, over what the organizers have called a “breach of competitive integrity”. As a result, Flashpoint will take $10,000 of the prize money earned by the Brazilian organization from Flashpoint Season Two, which will be donated to charity.

The MiBR CS:GO team had defeated OG 2-0 in the Flashpoint Season Two Upper Bracket quarter final, the match which eventually saw the organization fined. MiBR had a TV displaying Flashpoint’s official stream, which was visible to all players. However, with the stream having a significant delay, the Brazilian team was able to take advantage of knowing their opponent’s tactics.

Why Flashpoint Finded MiBR

While such delays are put in place to prevent such an outcome, Flashpoint still decided to fine MiBR, with commissioner MonteCristo stating that: “We still find MIBR’s actions to be a breach of competitive integrity in our event.” Meanwhile, the tournament organizer added that any evidence of the watching of streams during matches would result in an automatic disqualification.

MiBR Head Coach and Manager Raphael “cogu” Camargo has had his say on the matter, with the 35-year-old having declared their innocence, stating that the team was in fact watching a stream of Fnatic’s clash against Dignitas. Speaking on Twitlonger, cogu posted that: “I turned it off before the second map started after a friend suggested it to me by message.”

Why Stream Sniping is an Issue in CS:GO

The words of Cogu mean that it was seemingly a genuine misunderstanding between the two parties, however MiBR will still donate the $10,000 fee to a Brazilian charity. The actions of Cogu have also been praised by Immortals Gaming Club CEO Ari Segal, the parent company of MiBR, who posted: “Great example of strong leadership: take responsibility for an honest mistake.”

CS:GO has had to deal with a host of issues surrounding stream sniping over the years, especially when it comes to online events. The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) doubled down on the matter at the start of the week, stating that they had a zero tolerance policy surrounding stream sniping, however that bans would not be issued on historical events. The ESIC has suggested a host of measures that can be taken by event organizers to prevent stream sniping in the future.