Team American Goons Seemingly Disqualified from NA Closed Qualifiers For a Joke

In a surprising turn of events, the North American (NA) Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) closed qualifiers witnessed the disqualification of Team American goons, all seemingly stemming from an innocent message on Steam. The decision made by tournament organizers PGL has ignited controversy within the NA Dota 2 community, raising questions about the validity of the disqualification based solely on a private ‘joke’ exchanged on Steam.

The disqualification came to light when PGL took to Twitter to announce their decision, citing allegations of betting and match-fixing against Team American goons. However, the specific details of these accusations have remained undisclosed, leaving many observers perplexed. PGL is yet to disclose any concrete evidence to substantiate the allegations.

PGL's Decision and Allegations

In a recent announcement on Twitter, PGL, the organizers overseeing the NA closed qualifiers, revealed their decision to disqualify Team American goons based on allegations of involvement in betting and match-fixing.

However, according to Peter "ppd" Dager, this all is seemingly stemming from a private response that Jose “esK” Coronel a player from Team American goons sent. According to ppd, a player from Gatekept sent a ‘salty message,’ asking them whether they lost to GRIN Esports in the upper bracket ‘on purpose’ to play them, to which the Team American goons player replied with “yes”.

This screenshot allegedly made its way to PGL, who supposedly took this to mean that Team American goons had admitted to matchfixing and disqualified them from the qualifiers

Controversy and Calls for Reevaluation

Prominent figures within the NA Dota 2 community have emerged to voice their concerns and express skepticism regarding the validity of the allegations. They argue that without substantial proof, the decision to disqualify the team appears premature and unjust.

Ex-professional Dota 2 player and prominent NA figure ppd also commented on PGL’s decision to disqualify American goons and was evidently surprised by the decision, asking them to ‘fix’ their decision.

TSM’s coach David "MoonMeander" Tan also commented on the ban, stating that he trusts that PGL will ‘do the right thing’ and ‘reverse the ban’, adding that the Team American goons players are respectable and deserve better than this.

GRIN Esports, the team that American goons lost to in the upper bracket of the NA Closed Qualifiers, also shared its perspective, stating that the decision by PGL is ‘not the most informed’.

Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling, the TI5 winner and coach for TI11 winning team Tundra Esports also shared his support for American goons, saying he watched both games in the upper bracket finals of the NA Closed Qualifiers, saying that both teams were ‘playing to win’.

As the situation unfolds, the Dota 2 community eagerly awaits further updates from PGL and hopes for a transparent resolution that upholds the integrity of competitive Dota 2 while ensuring justice for all parties involved.