Adidas Sapphire Edge Groups

1.1 Time Wasting

Should your opponent be leading in a game and start passing around in the back, they may be disqualified. Record video evidence and send it to an admin after the match is complete if you suspect your opponent is wasting time.

1.2 Grace Period

A participant must be in the game lobby with their opponent within 15 minutes after a match’s start time. Proof must be provided that there was an attempt to contact the missing opponent

1.3 Delays

Players may not delay the start of a match beyond its scheduled start time, without the approval of a tournament official. Players may delay a match between games for up to five minutes. Players can request that a tournament official enforce this five-minute time limit.

1.4 Match Schedule

In a knockout tournament, participants that have not completed their matches before the scheduled start time of the next round of fixtures must contact an admin. Participants that do not attempt to contact an admin will have their fixtures forfeit once the 'Grace Period' of the following fixture expires.

 
1.5 Double Forfeit

If a match is not played and neither player contacts the admin requesting the forfeit or win, both players will be knocked out of the tournament.

1.6 Seeding

Participants will be seeded according to their game ELO. The higher seed is determined by the participant with the seed closest to 0. Example: Seed 4 is a higher seed than seed 10. 

1.7 Outside Players

After the match lobby has been created, only eligible players and staff members may be invited/join. If an ineligible player joins a game, the game must be ended if the player affects the game and/or doesn't leave within 30 seconds of joining. If a player is found to have invited an ineligible player to a game, they will forfeit the game.

1.8 Disconnections

If a player disconnects within the first thirty (30) seconds and/or before the first goal, the game should be ended.  All players must leave the match to end the game. 

If a player disconnects after the first thirty seconds (30) and/or the first goal, they may forfeit the round/game in question. 

1.9 Connectivity 

In the event of two players being unable to connect OR a bad connection being reported, a connection test can be requested. A connection test requires both players to post a screenshot or a photo of their connection which must indicate the NAT type, connectivity speed, and connection type.  

Should connectivity prove to be an issue in completing a match, the player with an ‘open’ nat type will be declared the winner. If both players have an open NAT type, the connection will come into question. A fibre connection is preferable to an ADSL connection which is perforable to a WiFi connection. If both players have the same connection the winner will be the higher seeded player. Seeding is determined first by wins on the ACGL platform, and then by random for those new to the platform. 

1.10 Hosting
 
The higher seeded player at match time must host the first game. The lower seeded player will host the second game. This will alternate until all games have been played.
 
Hosting players should create a custom game. As the hosting player changes over the course of a match, the new hosting player should leave the custom game and create a new one. A lag test should be performed before the start of each game to ensure all players have an acceptable player to player connection.

If the host incorrectly ends a game, they may forfeit the game.

1.11 Lag

In the event that lag occurs, the game should be completed. The player(s) that are experiencing lag should take video proof, and provide it to tournament live support after the game has concluded. Leaving the game prematurely may result in a forfeit of the round or game. 

1.12 No Shows

All no shows must be verified by a tournament official. The No Show grace period time is 15 minutes after the match's original start time. For example, if a match is scheduled for 10:00 PM, the no show time for this match would be 10:15 PM. In order to contact a Tournament Official use the Discord Live Support.

1.13 Time Limit

Players must report the match results within 10 minutes of its completion. Failure to report the match results on time or respond to any messages that you receive from a tournament official may result in the player receiving the loss. 

1.14 Report Match Score

Please report the match results on your match page which can be found under the Bracket Tab on the tournament page. To report the match results, players must report the match score accurately, with overall maps won being reported.

2.1 Communication

Only communication via the ACGL Match page will be accepted. In cases where competitors cannot use the match page, they are requested to use the relevant Discord chat channel in the ACGL server.

2.2 Rule Changes

ACGL reserves the right to make changes to the rules before or during any tournament. ACGL also reserves the right to make decisions outside of the rulebook where necessary to ensure fair play and the smooth running of the tournament.

2.3 Admin Discretion

All Admin Discretion will be exercised reasonably, and in good faith. 

2.4 Late Entries

Participants will not be able to sign up to tournaments once the sign-up deadline has been reached. 

2.5 Misconduct and Unsportsmanlike Behaviour

All players are to behave in a respectful way towards other competitors and ACGL Staff. Any form of conduct that is deemed unsportsmanlike are subject to penalty. This includes, but is not limited to toxic behaviour, harassment, discriminatory language, cheating attempts and flaming.

2.6 Conflict of Interest

Participation in prize tournaments, unless otherwise explicitly permitted, is not allowed for employees of ACGL, its partners, or tournament sponsors.

2.7 Connections

Should an admin decide that your in-game connection is regularly in conflict with others or too unstable to fairly compete against other participants, you may be forfeited or blacklisted from our tournaments and matchfinders. 

2.8 VPN

The use of a VPN (Eg: NordVPN, ExpressVPN, etc) when connecting to our website or app is strictly prohibited and may result in you getting banned. Use of a GPN or Gaming VPN (Such as Exitlag, NoPing, etc) to connect to game-servers is permitted. 

2.9 Prize Distribution

1. Payments for tournaments with a monetary payout will be made within 30 days (unless otherwise stated) following the receipt of confirmed payout details. Prize payments can be made to a South African bank account or via PayPal. Monetary prizes not claimed after 3 months are subject to forfeiture.
2. Delivery of physical prizes can take between 1-3 months (unless otherwise stated). Any physical prizes not claimed after 30 days are subject to forfeiture.
3. Tournaments with a “sliding-scale prize pool” have participation-dependent prizes. This means that a specific number of confirmed participants must be reached before a prize becomes valid and claimable.

2.10 Hosting Rights

Hosting rights for peer-to-peer and or private matches will be given to players currently residing in South Africa. Should both participants agree, either participant may host the match. Once a match has started, all participants agree to who the hosting participant is, and any effects the host has on the outcome of that match. 

2.11 Broadcasting

1. ACGL reserves the right to use any material cast or streamed by a player when participating in ACGL tournaments.
2. Personal Streams: All personal streaming is allowed.
3. Community Broadcasts: All participants must agree to being on a community broadcast. This should be communicated to all participants at least 1 hour before the start of a match. For tournaments on a rolling schedule, it must be agreed to before the start of that match on the ACGL Match page. Community broadcasts should have at least a 2-minute delay (if applicable) and all personalities on community broadcasts must remain respectful to all participants and ACGL staff. ACGL reserves the right to request a take-down of any broadcast or bar any peoples or teams from running a broadcast in the future.

2.12 Spectators

Other than ACGL admins, spectators are only allowed if both participants agree. Disputes on spectators must be made before the start of the first game.

2.13 Loadshedding

1. Standard Cups will always proceed regardless of the stage of loadshedding, provided the tournament reaches the minimum number of participants.
2. If loadshedding is scheduled for stage 4 or above on the same day as an Event Series Finals, the dates of the finals may be moved to accommodate all participants.

2.14 New Characters / Maps

New characters, maps, stages, or additional downloadable content (DLC) added to any game may not be used in competition within 14 days of release. After this period, such content is only permitted if it is enabled within the game’s official competitive format. Specific restrictions or exceptions may be communicated on a per-game basis.  

2.15 Event / Game Specific Rules

Any rule(s) that apply to a specific event, tournament, or game will take precedence over these Global Rules. If you are unsure regarding any rule, please contact a tournament admin on the ACGL match page or through the ACGL Discord server.

2.16 Terms of Service

Players are required to adhere to the Terms of Service and Rules of ACGL and the Game Publisher or Title. Breaking any rules from either party may result in penalties.

3.1 In-Game ID

1. Players must ensure that their in-game ID or name (relating to the tournament or game) is up to date on their ACGL account. Players may receive honour deductions or forfeitures at the discretion of the admins.
2. Players with profanity, vulgar text, or foreign characters that cannot be typed on a standard keyboard, console, or mobile device in their ID will be requested to remove the text. Failure to do so may result in honour deduction, or a ban.

3.2 Multi Accounts

3.3 Usernames, Team Names, and Logos

ACGL reserves the right to edit or require changes to user and team names or logos, and to deduct Honour, if such names or logos resemble or include copyrighted or trademarked content, are misleading, offensive, vulgar, or promote or incite hatred, discrimination, or harassment.  

3.4 Team Roster

A player may only play for one team in a tournament. The only players allowed to play for a team are the players listed for that team on the match page.

3.5 Account Sharing

Players are forbidden to allow others to play in tournaments in place of them by sharing game accounts. Account sharing may result in forfeiture, suspension, or a permanent ban depending on severity.

3.6 Multi Participation

Players are only allowed to play in one weekly cup per day. Leagues, or events that run over 1 week are permitted for multi participation, and players can enter multiple at the same time.

3.7 Roster Changes

1. Changes to a team’s roster may only be made before the end of the check-in stage of the related tournament. Admins do not adjust team rosters unless a viable reason is provided for the adjustment. 
2. Tournaments or Leagues that span over more than one week may allow for additional roster changes throughout the tournament. The additional rules, should they be applicable, will be available on the tournament, event or league.

3.8 Substitutes

Substitute players will be allowed for specified tournaments. These players are not required to check in, will not receive or lose any Skill, and will not count towards a team’s seeding. Substitutes will also not be awarded trophies or embers.

3.9 Country or Region

1. Deliberately faking the country of residence is punishable. A player found to be doing so while part of a team will result in a penalty to the player and their team.
2. Each tournament will specify a list of allowed regions. Only participants from the specified regions are permitted to participate in that specific tournament.
   1. Sub-Saharan Africa: 
      Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

   2. Sub-Saharan Africa & Northern African:
      Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Réunion, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe

   3. South Africa

   4. All African Countries

3. Some tournaments may allow additional regions or have varied rules regarding players outside of the specified regions. These will be available and communicated on the tournament page on a per-tournament basis. If you are unsure about eligibility, please open a ticket on the ACGL Discord.

3.10 Banned Players

Playing with a banned player may result in the entire team receiving a penalty. A list of players banned from competing on the ACGL platform can be found here.

4.1 Disputes Regarding Rules

ACGL have final, binding authority to decide disputes with respect to the breach, termination, enforcement, or interpretation of these Rules. Disputes will be concluded in accordance with the rules as they are at the time of the dispute and at the discretion of the admins.

4.2 Disputes Parties

Only affected parties (people, players, organisation, and staff directly affected, positively or negatively) may create disputes or challenge decisions made by the admins.

4.3 Proof

All disputes must be submitted with proof to ACGL for a ruling to be made. The burden of proof is on the accuser.

4.4 Game Result Time Limit

Disputes for game results within a Standard Cup must be submitted on the match page or in a ticket on the ACGL Discord no later than 15 minutes after the end of a match. For Standard Cup battle royale tournaments, players must submit any game result disputes before 09:00 SAST the following day. For League Matches, players have 24 hours to submit any game disputes after the result is entered.

5.1 Player and Team Reports

Users must submit a report in a ticket on the ACGL Discord. The report must clearly disclose the reason for the report, the date of the incident, all parties involved, and any evidence of the incident. Reports are made in full confidentiality and are never shared outside of the administration without the consent of the reporter. Reports must be made in good faith.

5.2 Cheating

Any form of cheating, hacking, abusing in-game mechanics, mods, or unsportsmanlike behaviour is subject to penalty.

5.3 Match-Fixing and Betting Fraud

Engaging in any action that improperly influences the outcome of a game or match by any means is strictly prohibited.

5.4 Doping

Any kind of doping is forbidden. Use of non-prescribed performance-enhancing substances is subject to penalty.

5.5 Deception or Manipulation

The attempt to deceive admins or other players with wrong or fake statements, information, or data will not be tolerated. Players found bribing or attempting to bribe an ACGL admin or trying to manipulate the competition will be punished accordingly.

5.6 Game Modification

Programs that provide an unfair advantage or make changes to the game itself are forbidden. Scripts and changes to the game or its configuration are forbidden unless otherwise stated in the tournament rules.

5.7 Equipment

Players may not use a Turbo or Button Macro controller. For console-only tournaments, the use of a keyboard and or mouse is strictly prohibited.

5.8 IP Flooding (DDos Attacks)

Performing or assisting with a DDoS attack of any participant or ACGL will be punished severely.

5.9 Lack of Cooperation

Failing to comply with a tournament admin’s directions and or requests may result in the forfeit of a game or the entire match.

5.10 Appeals

Users may submit an appeal of their penalty in a ticket on the ACGL Discord. The appeal must contain in good faith why the user believes their penalty should be appealed. Evidence will be required to appeal decisions where applicable. Users may receive a limit to the number of appeals they can make in a given time frame.

6.1 List of Penalties

A full list of possible penalties can be found below. ACGL, in its sole discretion, may also inflict additional penalties to the violating participants according to the admin team’s internal decision on the severity of the violation, as well as the context, or circumstance of said violation.

6.1 Honour Violations

Violations of the below nature may result in an honour deduction. The honour deduction applied is based on the severity of the violation and is at the discretion of ACGL Admins.

6.3 Honour Ban

Users who reach -20 Honour will receive a one-week ban. Further violations may result in additional penalties.

6.4 Major Violations

Violations of the below nature may result in suspensions or permanent bans. The length of the suspension or ban is based on the severity of the violation and is at the discretion of ACGL Admins. Subsequent violations may increase the ban duration. Actions that are deemed violation of our Rules or Terms of Service but are not included in this list may still be subject to penalty. All bans are first reviewed by ACGL admins before applied. 

6.5 Additional Penalties

Additional penalties that are not mentioned above include but are not limited to the following:

1. Team suspensions
2. Prize forfeiture(s)
3. Player or Team Disqualification(s)