Maniac was accused of sexual harassment and had to withdraw from the ESL Tournament

Former Swiss Esports Player and Current Caster Mathieu "Maniac" Quiquerez Accused of Harassment at CS2 Afterparty

Multiple women have accused Mathieu "Maniac" Quiquerez, a former Swiss esports player and now an English-speaking caster, of harassment at an afterparty following a CS2 championship. The victims shared their experiences on X (formerly Twitter).

The first woman, named Hannah, works as an independent journalist at esports tournaments. While she did not specify which championship’s afterparty it was, representatives from Dust2.us have suggested it was likely the BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024. According to Hannah, on the dance floor, Maniac repeatedly touched her inappropriately, groped intimate areas, and rubbed against her from behind. She clarified that this behaviour was not a one-off but continued for the duration of the party.

Hannah noted that Maniac was drunk, but in her opinion, he was fully aware of his actions. Following the incident, she approached an unnamed company (believed to be BLAST, as confirmed by Dust2.us) to address the situation. According to the journalist, the investigation corroborated her claims, but no action was taken. When she requested written results of the investigation, a company employee accidentally forwarded her an internal email in which BLAST representatives discussed ignoring her demands moving forward.

Hannah stated that she went public because she feared others could also fall victim to Maniac’s behaviour. She also revealed that she was not the only one harassed by the caster that evening. However, due to BLAST's confidentiality policies, the results of the investigation will not be made public.

In response to Hannah's allegations, Quiquerez stated that his recollection of the evening differed significantly. For instance, he believed the flirting was mutual and not as aggressive as described. He also claimed to have arrived at the party much later than she stated. Quiquerez added that this fact could be verified by an Uber receipt, but at the time of publication, he had not responded to Dust2.us’s request to provide the receipt.

After reading Maniac’s response, another victim, G2 Esports interviewer Daisy Powers, came forward to share her experience from the same party. She stated that Maniac harassed her in the same way as Hannah, even in front of her fiancé and several colleagues. Powers said she repeatedly told him "no" and tried to move away, but Quiquerez continued to follow her. Powers, who typically avoids esports-related dramas, said she felt compelled to speak out after seeing Maniac’s response.

Quiquerez did not comment on Daisy Powers’ statements. However, in his response to Hannah’s accusations, he announced that he would step down from the broadcasts of ESL Pro League Season 20 to allow fans to focus on CS2 rather than unrelated incidents. ESL representatives responded to the situation in a comment to Esports.gg, stating that although the incident did not occur at their tournament, they would carefully review all details before deciding whether to continue working with Maniac.