ESL fine Astralis $100,000 for cooperation with HUNDEN in 2021

Tournament operator ESL announced via their official website that Astralis was charged $100,000 as a fine. The reason for the sanctions was a conflict of interest that arose in 2021.

The press release states that between April and July 2021, Astralis received information from an employee who held a senior position in an opponent team. ESL haven't disclosed any names, but, apparently, it's connected to the scandal involving Heroic's coach Nicolai "HUNDEN" Petersen.

Two years ago, HUNDEN, who was Heroic's coach at the time, shared his team's tactics with Astralis. Later, from the correspondence of the specialist, it turned out that few months before the leak of information on the strategies, Petersen signed a contract with Astralis.

ESL conducted an independent investigation for a possible conflict of interest and, in accordance with the regulations of the so-called Louvre Agreement, which includes Astralis and other partner teams, punished the Danish club. At the same time, the tournament operator noted that the actions of HUNDEN and Astralis had no effect on the results of official matches.

A year and a half after the incident, Astralis signed HUNDEN as the Head Analyst of the main roster. However, the Dane failed to gain a foothold in the team and parted ways with the club a week ago.

Origin: pro.eslgaming.com