I’ve always been an advocate of decisive and severe punishments for convicted cheaters, match-fixers and other scammers. Nothing will change that. But the premise is that those in charge to pass the sentence have done everything necessary to ensure a fair trial. This was allegedly not the case when Simeon “dream3r” Ganev, a talented Bulgarian CS:GO pro-player, was banned by Valve’s anti-cheat system VAC last year.

One might argue Ganev’s case is just one in a number of incidents that are being debated passionately by the community. Valve’s anti-cheat system habitually becomes a basis of discussion. Just like any other technology the VAC system is prone to errors. Accounts can be stolen or hacked, and of course VAC can’t know who really plays on the account. Likely there are myriads of players who have been treated unfairly by the system.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]His case is about a career at risk[/perfectpullquote]

Ganev’s case is special though. He fields as a rifler for E-Frag Esports Club, one of the best CS:GO teams in Eastern Europe and arguably among the Top 20 in the world. His case is about a career at risk. His case is about one of the most talented Bulgarian pro-players being deterred from the big stages. Ganev’s ban applies to all Valve-sponsored events, including prestigious tournaments like ESL One or DreamHack. It leaves a promising player in despair and without any chance to become one of the best.

And all that because of a serious error.

At least, that’s what Ganev states. He has published what he claims to be evidence of his innocence. He says his account was stolen months before the ban, that he had no access to it whatsoever, and that he had used a new account ever since. Even though E-Frag was forced to replace Ganev in all affected matches, the organization keeps faith with their shooting star. Teammates and staff members have voiced their concerns multiple times. I’m not the one to decide if he deserves the ban. But as he heavily demands a hearing, it is morally questionable to ignore him.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The integrity of a sport is not only damaged by cheaters or match-fixers, but also by arbitrary justice[/perfectpullquote]

Valve remains silent over the case. The company is not known for being overly communicative with such controversies. The situation of the players involved in the iBuyPower scandal remained vague for nearly a year. Only then it was finally clarified that the “indefinite bans” indeed are what many already assumed: lifetime bans. However, Ganev’s case looks comparably easy to solve. In fact, he would not even be the first who got unbanned.

LDLC White member Matthieu “matHEND” Roquigny has seen his VAC ban lifted by Valve, after providing evidence that he was hacked. There is no good reason to deny Ganev the same treatment. The integrity of a sport is not only damaged by cheaters or match-fixers, but also by arbitrary justice. Valve has to attend to the matter if it’s only to save face.