Today, the Swiss analyst Maniac (Mathieu Quiquerez) published his response to the serious sexual harassment allegations made against him by British journalist Hannah Marie. The woman claimed that during a party after a Counter-Strike tournament, she was subjected to repeated inappropriate physical touching and sexual harassment by Maniac.

Maniac's response to the allegations

In his response, Maniac denied the allegations, stating that his recollection of the events of that night varied greatly. According to him, he arrived at the afterparty after midnight and can confirm this with an Uber receipt. Maniac claims that his interaction with the journalist was “mutual flirting” and he did not notice any hints that his behavior was unwanted.

READ MORE: Reporter Hannah Marie accuses analyst Maniac of sexual harassment

Maniac voluntarily leaves ESL Pro League

Despite the fact that Maniac does not admit to the allegations, he decided to step down from the ESL Pro League in order not to distract the audience from the main events of the tournament. He also stated that he has always taken such issues seriously and recognizes that even an unpleasant situation without intent can hurt another person.

Community reaction: support and criticism

The social media community reacted sharply and polarized. Some users expressed support for Maniac, saying that accusations without evidence can ruin a person's career. One comment read: “All these accusations are ruining careers without concrete evidence, you need to leave a comment for investigation.” Another user added: “If unfounded accusations like this can make casters disappear from ESL, soon we won't have any casters at all.”

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Criticism of Maniac's activities

In addition to discussing the accusations, some users mentioned other controversial aspects of Maniac's activities. For example, his involvement in gambling-related projects has also caused a wave of criticism. One user commented: “Ura is a sociopath promoting gambling to children and working for the Saudi government. Shut up”.

Further development of the situation

The situation continues to unfold, and it is unclear how the allegations will be investigated and what actions will be taken against Maniac in the long term. The community remains divided on this topic, and further actions by the company that conducted the internal investigation have not yet been announced.