GamesFPSCounter-Strike 2Counter-Strike pro somehow gets banned for life twice after stealing other players' SSDs at IEM Dallas, blames the ganjaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

GamesFPSCounter-Strike 2Counter-Strike pro somehow gets banned for life twice after stealing other players' SSDs at IEM Dallas, blames the ganjaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Valve)

A Counter-Strike chicken with guns.

The incident took place in the small hours on May 31st, after the 19 year-old Zanzoul gained entry to a backstage area containing other players' equipment. Zanzoul helped himself to SSDs belonging to his fellow professionals Jake “Stewie2K” Yip, Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, and Guy “NertZ” Iluz.

Reports of the incident first began surfacing on social media, beforeZanzoul granted an interviewto fellow player and streamer Collin “CoJoMo” Moren in which they discuss what happened. Zanzoul admits taking the three SSDs from a larger pile of hardware, then taking them back to his hotel room at the Omni Dallas Hotel (which is connected to the event venue).

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Fellow professional M0nesy posted another theoryon his Telegram page: “I found out at IEM Dallas that some dude stole Niko and Stewie’s SD cards and wanted to download cheats onto them. What kind of crazy person would even think of such a thing?”

Whatever the reasons for this act, it looks like it will be career-ending for the young player, whose previous behaviour has been less than exemplary. Zanzoul has previously received a permanent ban for ban evasion (!) from the ESL, been banned from the FACEIT Pro League for attempted match-fixing, and has a history of being offensive and unprofessional online and in-person. In such a context, and having been given a second chance so recently, boosting your fellow professionals' equipment at a major event and re-incurring the wrath of the ESL seems mind-bogglingly stupid.

I’ve contacted Zanzoul for comment, and will update with any response. Meanwhile I’ll leave you withCS player BeautifulDimension56, whose thoughts incline towards medical science:

“His brain gotta be studied in the future because what type of decision making is this?”

TOPICSValve

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