Joel Receives Lifetime Ban from CS2 Esports

Swedish professional Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) player Joel “joel” Holmlund has received a lifetime ban from the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) for multiple serious violations of conduct rules.

Detection of Cheats and Admission of Guilt

During the investigation, a premium hardware cheat, Asdfware EFI bootkit, was found on joel’s computer, including aimbot, triggerbot, and ESP cheats.
The Akros anti-cheat system detected the use of this software, which was later confirmed through further analysis.
The player admitted his guilt in a written response to the accusations.

Attempts to Pressure ESIC

After admitting guilt and requesting a delay in the publication of the accusations to allow him time to transition to another field, Holmlund attempted to blackmail ESIC, threatening to spread false allegations in an effort to prevent the investigation’s release.

Previous Violations

This is joel’s third violation of ESIC’s integrity program in the past 24 months, demonstrating a systematic disregard for fair play principles in esports.
In September 2023, he was temporarily suspended for betting on matches in which he participated while playing for GODSENT.
At the time, there was no conclusive evidence of match-fixing, and the ban lasted four months.

ESIC’s Decision

Given the severity and repeated nature of the violations, ESIC has imposed a lifetime ban on Holmlund, prohibiting him from participating in any tournaments, leagues, or events organized by ESIC members.