American Goons have been kicked out from the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) North America (NA) Tour 3: Closed Qualifiers for a misinterpreted sarcastic comment
In a surprising development, Team American goons were disqualified from the North American Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) closed qualifiers, triggering a wave of controversy within the NA Dota 2 community. Tournament organizers PGL made the decision in response to an apparently sarcastic message shared on Steam. This incident has raised concerns about the legitimacy of disqualifying a team based solely on a private ‘joke’ shared via the platform.
Team American goons is disqualified from NA closed qualifiers for breaking the following rule:
Bets and match-fixing
Players, managers, and coaches are prohibited from making any kind of bets on these tournament matches. If it is proven that a player/coach/manager had made a…
— PGL (@pglesports) May 25, 2023
PGL took to Twitter to announce the disqualification of Team American goons, citing allegations of betting and match-fixing as the reason behind their decision. The specific details of these accusations have yet to be revealed, however, leaving many onlookers puzzled. PGL has yet to present any substantial evidence to back up the claims.
Credit: PGL
Evil Geniuses legend Peter “ppd” Dager shed light on the situation, indicating that the current turmoil stemmed from a private exchange involving Jose “esK” Coronel, a member of Team American goons. According to ppd, a player from Gatekept sent a provocative message, questioning whether Team American goons intentionally lost to GRIN Esports in the upper bracket to secure a match against them. In response, the player from Team American goons jokingly replied with a simple “yes.”
Slow down @pglesports … the team who lost messaged the team who crushed them a salty loser message. The winning team replied with ‘ye’ so you banned them from the league and accused them of match-fixing? Fix this, please! https://t.co/V3AVKPSSEY pic.twitter.com/eP6gEKmtic
— Peterpandam ⌐◨-◨ (@Peterpandam) May 25, 2023
The screenshot caught the attention of PGL and allegedly the organization interpreted the exchange as an admission of match-fixing by Team American goons, leading to their disqualification from the qualifiers.
The International 2015 champion ppd is not the only notable member of the NA Dota 2 community who has come forward to express his concerns and skepticism regarding the credibility of the allegations against Team American goons. Many prominent NA Dota 2 personalities have argued that the decision to disqualify the team seems premature and unjustifiable, given the absence of compelling evidence to back up the accusations.
Coach David “MoonMeander” Tan of TSM weighed in on the ban, expressing his trust in PGL to handle the matter appropriately. He advocated for overturning the ban, emphasizing that the players from Team American goons deserve fair treatment and respect.
I trust that PGL will do the right thing and reverse this ban, lil nick and Boris are stand up NADota players who deserve more than this ending.
— TSM MoonMeander (@MoonMeanderated) May 25, 2023
GRIN Esports, the team that defeated Team American goons in the upper bracket of the NA Closed Qualifiers, expressed their viewpoint, describing PGL’s decision as lacking proper information and understanding.
The Dota 2 community is actively following the developments of the situation and looking forward to a new update from PGL regarding the matter. There is a collective hope for a transparent resolution that prioritizes the integrity of competitive Dota 2 and ensures that all parties involved are treated justly.
