forZe Face Backlash After Signing zoneR: How Do Other Coaches Feel On Cheaters?
On October 24, recently banned Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) coach Aleksandr "zoneR" Bogatyrev officially joined the staff at forZe eSports, and the org received some negative feedback from others on Twitter due to this decision. Back in September, zoneR was banned due to his involvement in the spectator coaching scandal - a bug issue that led to The Esports Integrity Commission banning thirty-seven coaches. A handful of figures in the CS:GO community didn’t hold back on what they thought about forZe hiring zoneR, some even being coaches who’ve earned respect through working hard - rather than cheating.
CRITICISM FROM OTHERS
Team Liquid’s head coach Jason O’Toole described zoneR as a terrible role model for players attending forZe School. Esports commentator MACHINE followed up by blasting the org mentioning how this hire could bring shame and damage to other people within the company. Other people like esports talk show host Jake Lucky called this a good pickup. The choice to hire a recently banned coach is definitely a controversial subject considering zoneR’s new position is for an academy team. With a plan to put fresh faces on the main roster, forZe isn’t taking any chances with their new hires. The org is willing to take criticism from others just to build a successful team and finally compete at an S-Tier level.
WHO IS ZONER?
Adding zoneR to the academy team could also just be a selling point for their player packages. These bundles are three-month coaching courses worth between one and two hundred dollars. Having an experienced coach would help with new arrivals and fill pockets at forZe eSports.
But besides being a part of a huge cheating scandal, was zoneR ever a good coach?
From 2014 to 2018 he was an active player for small CS:GO teams. After earning a few grand from playing with no outstanding results, zoneR moved onto coaching. He helped teams such as HEY and Quantum Bellator Fire earn more than his entire career as a player - an achievement that caught the attention of a team by the name of DreamEaters.
DreamEaters are a team founded in 2015 that received most of their success after hiring zoneR; he helped the team earn roughly forty grand in just under a year. That’s nearly seventy percent of the team's lifetime earnings. None of those results have been recorded as cheating. After the team closed their CS:GO division, zoneR and his crew moved onto Hard Legion Esports - another team with a massive losing streak looking to turn things around. With the help of zoneR, HLE earned almost sixty grand in less than a year, beating out teams with bigger establishments. That was until the bug information was released, resulting in a net loss of six thousand dollars and most importantly, a banned coach.
Since zoneR was banned, Hard Legion Esports fell off hard and couldn’t even land a top-three finish - a truly embarrassing time for an up and coming org. So far, they’ve parted ways with most of their roster, bringing in a number of trial players with big shoes to fill.
Click to enlargeFORZE IS LOOKING TO WIN
The CEO of forZe and ex Counter-Strike 1.6 player for V.p called those who disagreed with hiring zoneR "morons", mentioning how zoneR brought a team from nothing to a major, and has a lot of experience he can share with younger players. At this point, forZe is pushing their luck, making these quickdraw decisions. They’re lighting a fire by hiring anyone who can help them win despite someone’s background, even if it’s something sensitive like cheating in their own game. With investors to please, forZe is pulling out all the stops to become a profitable team.
Other familiar names such as kRYSTAL and Mythix mentioned how teams brought in multiple coaches during the bug scandal matches - definitely something to look out for at future events. The academy team at forZe School currently has a three-member coaching staff, and at this point, the company wants to win, and has the money to acquire whoever comes their way, whether that’s an overbearing amount of coaches or pool of trial players. Expect to see some drastic changes over the next two years. Adding zoneR to the team can lead to a huge amount of success or a complete downfall, and most people disagree with hiring cheaters (unless you only care about earnings).
With Flashpoint Season 2 right around the corner, forZe has a lot to prove. The tournament has a million-dollar prize pool consisting of some of the best teams in CS:GO. Retirement seemed like the only reasonable option for zoneR until forZe came along; they’ve given him a second chance, including free range to develop a winning team. Without support and respect from certain people in the CS:GO community, forZe is depending on first-place finishes to become the best.
Images via Liquipedia | forZe eSports
