Breaking: Multiple NA players hit with cheating bans on FACEIT

A large ban wave has taken place on the FACEIT platform today, with multiple NA players receiving two-year bans on the platform for cheating. The scope of the bans is significant as notable competitors in ESEA Advanced, the ESL Challenger League, and other key NA competitions have been implicated in cheating on the FACEIT platform.

Notable players who have been banned today are:

• Kiryl "SlooKy" Misiukevich (Junga)

• Enmanuel "SJR" Villar (LOBOARMY)

• Christopher "aleph" Froden (BACKWHENEVER)

The bans have already drawn a strong reaction for the NA Counter-Strike 2 community as the players had either been accused of cheating in the past or played with known cheaters throughout their careers.

Starting with Belarusian émigré Kiryl "SlooKy" Misiukevich, he has long faced accusations of cheating, with those accusations intensifying after his former teammate Andrew "ondyey" Novik was banned on the Gamers Club platform in February for cheating. Prior to his ban, SlooKy had been competing with Junga in ESEA Advanced Season 53 where the Eastern European mix locked in a top seed for playoffs after a 12-2 record. Their season is almost certainly over as all of their wins are expected to be overturned in the wake of SlooKy's cheating ban.

The champions of ESEA Advanced Season 52, Peruvian squad LOBOARMY, have also now had their results thrown into doubt with Enmanuel "SJR" Villar also being on the receiving end of a ban today. The team had emerged as a serious contender in the NA scene despite playing with a massive ping disadvantage from Peru, winning the aforementioned ESEA Advanced Season 52 playoffs while also performing well in various NA events.

Finally, Christopher "aleph" Froden's ban today is somewhat ironic as the player has been vocally accused a number of players for cheating, including SlooKy:

aleph also famously played with Damian "EMIYA" Boulware on Rocket before his second cheating ban in early 2024. The team notably made the PGL Copenhagen Major Americas RMR before having to pull out in the wake of EMIYA's ban.

Overall, the bans are expected to significantly affect the upcoming ESEA Advanced Season 53 playoffs as Junga and BAKCWHENEVER are almost certainly set to be disqualified.

Dust2.us reached out to a FACEIT source to confirm the veracity of the bans, with the source stating that the bans have been upheld by FACEIT's AC team and are "not false positives."