ESIC fines Astralis with a penalty of $15,000 USD

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has published the findings of its investigation into Astralis’ emergency substitution request for Alexander “br0” Bro during the BLAST Premier Fall Final.

Initially, on September 17, Astralis revealed Casper "cadiaN" Moller as their newest signing. However, the timing of the announcement meant cadiaN was ineligible for the BLAST Premier Fall Final, with the roster submission deadline having closed on September 4.

Astralis sought an emergency substitution, citing a medical issue that prevented "br0" from competing in the event. While BLAST approved the request, the decision immediately faced criticism after br0’s agent, Fabian Broich, publicly refuted the claim, asserting that his client was in perfect health.

Since then, BLAST sent a formal request to ESIC to determine if any breach of ESIC’s Integrity Program, and after almost two months of investigation, the Esports Integrity Commission has sanctioned Astralis with a financial penalty of $15,000 USD.

“While Astralis’ actions did not affect the competitive results, the lack of integrity in their conduct underline the importance of robust governance in esports. ESIC remains committed to ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability within the industry.” – ESIC Public Statement

The ESIC findings

The published report highlighted ‘process failures’ at BLAST as they accepted Astralis’ substitution request without sufficient validation, relying solely on representations made by the team. According to the commission, this led to a miscommunication in which BLAST allowed the substitution without any supporting evidence.

Astralis breaches ESIC’s Integrity Program

Astralis benefited from the occurred miscommunication which ultimately breached ESIC’s Integrity Program, by falling short of the transparency expected from a professional esports organization. While the substitution didn’t affect the outcome of the tournament as Astralis didn’t progress beyond the group stage.

With their findings, ESIC imposed a $15,000 USD financial penalty on Astralis, requiring the amount donated to an ESIC-approved charity. Furthermore, Astralis must forfeit their prize money from the tournament which is around $10,000 USD.

Astralis is disappointed in ESIC’s ruling

Despite the relatively lenient penalty, Astralis maintained their stance following ESIC's disciplinary action, issuing the following statement:

"We take the ruling into account, but we maintain that our actions were in line with applicable Danish employment laws. We are disappointed that ESIC's ruling and decision does not include the employer’s legal obligation to protect its employees in a sensitive situation.

"In light of the ruling, we have decided to donate $15,000 to the Danish Mental Health Foundation (Psykiatrifonden)." – Astralis’ statement

BLAST, the tournament organizer, has vowed to refine its procedures for managing emergency substitutions.

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Featured Image source: Astralis, edited by Strafe Esports

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