ex-ESC unbanned; to Katowice again

The Polish team had been disqualified from the tournament following a match-fixing investigation conducted by Valve that also resulted in bans being handed to four ex-members of Epsilon and to the former ALSEN squad.

In a statement issued by Paweł "⁠innocent⁠" Mocek to HLTV.org, the Polish player denied any wrongdoing from his team and stressed that there was no evidence to support the ban.

Last night, the team asked Valve for clarification on the ban and provided evidence that ended up throwing allegations of misconduct from the players to the ground.

"The ex-ESC players were restricted from participating in Valve-sponsored events because their historical account activity matched allegations of misconduct," a statement from Valve reads.

"However, further investigation has clarified their role in the matter, and the restriction has been lifted."

This means that Sunday's last-chance qualifier, featuring 12 teams from the second European qualifier, will have only one spot in Katowice up for grabs.

Contacted by HLTV.org, ESEA confirmed that the ex-ESC's team ban has also been lifted as a result of Valve's new statement.