Garena Bans P9 Esports PK & P9 Elite for “Live Cheating” in Free Fire World Series Pakistan Qualifiers

A major controversy has recently shaken Pakistan’s Free Fire esports community. Garena has banned two popular esports teams, P9 Esports PK and P9 Elite, for allegedly engaging in “teaming” (collusion) during an official tournament, an act considered a serious form of cheating in the Free Fire world.

This incident took place during the qualifiers for the Free Fire World Series, where both teams were disqualified from the tournament. Let’s break down what happened, how it happened, and why Garena took such strong action against these two teams.

What exactly happened?

The matter is connected to the Grand Finals of the Free Fire World Series Pakistan Qualifiers. Several Pakistani teams participated in this tournament, with the winner earning a spot in the Free Fire World Cup.

In this event, Hotshot Esports topped the table and qualified, but the controversy began due to an alleged illegal alliance between P9 Esports PK and P9 Elite.

P9 Esports PK and P9 Elite are both well-known Pakistani teams, but they come from different regions, P9 Esports PK from Peshawar and P9 Elite from Islamabad. Their boot camps (training centers) are also separate. However, one important fact is that both teams were managed by the same person. This connection became the spark for the entire controversy.

How did the controversy start?

The issue began in the sixth and final match of the tournament, which would decide which team topped the points table and qualified for the World Cup.

After the fifth match, the points table looked like this:

Hotshot Esports: 90 points – 1st place
P9 Esports PK: 80 points – 2nd place
P9 Elite: 12th place – with no chance of qualifying

If P9 Esports PK could earn just 10 more points, they would overtake Hotshot and qualify. On the other hand, P9 Elite had nothing to lose since they were far down the table. This is where suspicious activities began.

Teaming accusation: What happened in the 6th match?

1. Match start and suspicious movements

Map position: P9 Esports PK started in the Sentosa area, while P9 Elite was near Pochinki and Cotadova. A third team, House of Blood, was also in that region.
Initial fight: P9 Elite and House of Blood engaged in combat. This was a normal fight, P9 Elite players were backing off while House of Blood rushed them.
P9 Esports PK’s third-party attack: While in Sentosa, P9 Esports PK suddenly rotated and joined the fight, attacking House of Blood from the side (third-party) and earning some kills. Up to this point, things looked normal.

2. Suspicious behavior

P9 Elite’s unusual actions: During the fight, some P9 Elite players stood out in the open without moving, as if intentionally trying to give kills to P9 Esports PK. For example, players A81 and Rx25 stood still without resistance, making it easy for P9 Esports PK to secure kills.
Revive strategy: P9 Elite players were rushing to revive teammates in ways that seemed suspicious, as though their main intent was to help P9 Esports PK score more points.

3. The most controversial moment, the Cape Town incident

In the 9th minute, P9 Elite’s Tanjiro and other members rotated outside the zone and deliberately approached P9 Esports PK.
They offered no resistance and didn’t fire a single shot, allowing P9 Esports PK to kill them easily.
In the official tournament clip, it was clearly visible that one P9 Elite player got out of a vehicle, stood right in front of P9 Esports PK, and didn’t move until he was knocked out. This was a textbook example of “live cheating.”

How did Garena catch them?

Garena records every player’s POV (point of view). This was not a small event but the Grand Finals of the Free Fire World Series qualifiers.

The official casters even commented during the match that P9 Elite players were repeatedly giving kills to P9 Esports PK. After a thorough review of the footage, Garena found that both teams were in contact via Discord.

The role of Discord

Investigations revealed that both teams had the same manager, who connected the players through Discord and planned the teaming. The manager instructed P9 Elite to give kills to P9 Esports PK to help them boost their points.

This was done because P9 Esports PK needed just 10 points to qualify, and P9 Elite had nothing to lose.

Garena’s action and the ban

Garena ruled that the case violated Section 2.2.1 (Competitive Integrity) of the Free Fire rulebook, which clearly states:

No team may intentionally give an advantage to another team.
Using external sources (like Discord) for communication or signals is strictly prohibited.
Any kind of collusion or cheating is banned.

Based on this, Garena disqualified P9 Esports PK and P9 Elite from the tournament and banned both teams for one year. This means they cannot participate in any official Free Fire tournament for the next 12 months.

Statement from P9 Gaming’s owner

The owner of P9 Gaming, one of Pakistan’s richest and most famous YouTubers, publicly apologized. He stated that their manager made the wrong decision and encouraged both teams to cheat.

He admitted the mistake and took responsibility for it.

Impact of this incident

This is the first time in the Free Fire esports scene that Garena has banned two teams with such clear evidence. While cheating allegations have occurred before, this time the “live cheating” proof shocked the community.

It also damaged the reputation of Pakistan’s esports scene. Many believe such acts harm the country’s image, especially when teams like Hotshot Esports are performing brilliantly.

Conclusion

This incident is a reminder of how important competitive integrity is in esports. The actions of P9 Esports PK and P9 Elite not only cost them a World Cup spot but also led to a one-year ban.

It also shows that Garena has strong monitoring systems that can catch any form of cheating.

Hotshot Esports, on the other hand, put on a fantastic performance and officially qualified for the World Cup. This event teaches us that only teams that play with hard work and honesty earn respect and success in the long run.

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Do you think this ban was justified? Share your opinion in the comments!