A mistake from organizers at the FIFAe World Cup grand final may have just cost one player $150,000.
As part of the UK esports organization Futwiz, Australian player Mark11 was up against Team Gullit’s Dutch player Manubachoore on Wednesday. When the two legs of the final resulted in a draw overall, the finalists faced each other in a tense penalty shootout to decide the ultimate winner.
Mark11 then noticed that organizers were showing his controller overlay on the main screen. This meant that his opponent and everyone else in attendance could see his targeting. When Mark11 attempted to highlight this to the competition admin, he was ignored:
The Australian ultimately lost penalties 5-4, meaning he received the second-place prize of $150,000 rather than the top amount of $300,000.
completely ruined by unnecessary circumstances.”
Futwiz has labeled the dramatic final a “disgrace.” The group said: “Mark clearly raised this issue three times before penalties started and nothing was done so we left with the biggest final of the year completely ruined by unnecessary circumstances.”
Firing back, FIFAe argued on Twitter that all players are informed that their input overlay may be broadcast. The group noted that the same situation occurred in the semi-final with no requests for a restart from the players. “We can also confirm that no player received a competitive advantage as the opposite team only watched their own screen,” FIFAe concluded.