The International Cybersport Federation (IESF) has disqualified Team Croatia from participating in the IESF Eastern Europe Closed Qualifiers for the IESF Championships after revealing the use of "programs giving an unfair advantage" by a player with the nickname Maki in a July 9 match against Israel.

After the match, Israeli player Shiran "shushan" Shushan stated that Croatia lost to "the best cheats in Counter-Strike." The Israeli team defeated Albania while in the bottom set, but eventually lost to Serbia in the second round and were eliminated from the competition.

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Croatia was supposed to face Poland today, which is the Rebels team. However, due to Croatia's disqualification, Rebels automatically got the win and a spot in the upcoming IESF World Championship. The tournament grid was not changed, allowing teams from Poland, Romania and Serbia to directly qualify for the international LAN.

An IESF representative commented on the situation for Liquipedia and then shared a statement with Dust2.us:

I would like to inform you that Team Croatia (CS2 Open) has been disqualified from the IESF European Regional Qualifiers. Our head referees, after reviewing the match against Israel, determined that Croatia used programs that gave an unfair advantage (cheating) in that match. More information on the decision and the timing of the players' disqualification will be provided at a later date. The grid will not be changed; Poland will get a free win today, and Serbia and Romania will qualify for WEC24

IESF

Croatia's disqualification emphasizes the importance of fair play in eSports and the need for strict enforcement of the rules. The IESF has demonstrated its willingness to respond swiftly to infractions to ensure the integrity and sportsmanship of the competition. Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine have qualified for WEC 2024 to the rest of the national teams.

Source: Dust2.us