Dota 2 PGL Wallachia 2024 Sonneiko and ATF controversy: Why was Avulus penalized?

The Dota 2 esports scene has long been plagued by controversy, but the PGL Wallachia 2024 reached new heights of drama. Avulus' Akbar "Sonneiko" Butaev allegedly threatened to punch and drop Falcons' offlaner Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf to the ground, in retaliation for a toxic chat three months prior. In the high MMR ranked game, ATF called Sonneiko "braindead", prompting the Uzbek to send a threatening message on X.

ATF's response, Falcons' statement, PGL's action, and reactions from prominent personalities spread like wildfire throughout the Dota 2 community.

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Sonneiko-ATF altercation rocks Dota 2 PGL Wallachia 2024: ATF's official statement

A toxic Dota 2 pub match chat sparked a real-life confrontation between Sonneiko and ATF at PGL Wallachia 2024. ATF dismissed Sonneiko's threatening X message as "banter", but the drama unfolded when Sonneiko crossed a line when he spotted ATF in the hotel lobby at the PGL tournament.

Sonneiko allegedly approached ATF, put his arm around him, and threatened to punch and drop him to the ground. At this point, the staff and players of both Avulus and Falcons separated the duo and extinguished the heated situation.

Soon after the altercation, Ammar took to his X handle and shared his thoughts. He shed light on the incident and stated the following about Sonneiko:

"Today he approached me in hotel lobby put his arm on my shoulder and sonniko started threatening to punch me and put me in ground (xd?) to which i replied please punch me."

It is further revealed that Soneeiko kept threatening ATF regardless of the staff and players trying to stop him. ATF, no stranger to controversy ended his post with:

"Anyways i guess he did this because he cant beat me in game."

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The penalty imposed by the PGL Wallachia officials

PGL Wallachia imposed the following penalty on Avulus in response to Sonneiko's actions:

"AVULUS has been issued a Level 3 Penalty for the entire series against Falcons (-110 seconds bonus time on the Draft) following an altercation between SoNNeikO and ATF in the hotel lobby. We condemn this type of behavior, as it goes against the values of sportsmanship and respect that we uphold in our tournaments."

The statement ended with the assurance that officials had conducted a thorough investigation and made a fair judgment:

"The incident has been reviewed thoroughly, and appropriate action has been taken to ensure the integrity of the competition. We expect all participants to maintain professionalism on and off the stage."

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Team Falcons to discontinue from Dota 2 PGL Wallachia 2024?

The MENA powerhouse expressed strong dissatisfaction with PGL's response to the Sonneiko-ATF incident, citing player safety concerns. Falcons dropped a bombshell saying if stricter actions aren't taken, they might drop from the tournament altogether.

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Conclusion

The Sonneiko-ATF incident highlights the blurred lines between typical Dota 2 trash talk and real-life consequences. Due to Sonneiko's unprofessional behavior, Avulus is getting penalized. PGL hasn't yet responded to Falcons' appeals and the MENA team's Wallachia 2024 participation remains shaky.