Search

Rulebook

We believe ESports is the future and deserves a place alongside traditional sports. Gjirafa50 Masters League aims to grow the ESports community and cultivate a competitive nature to produce exceptional players and exciting matches. Gjirafa50 Masters League in Season 2 will have teams from all over Europe.

Rules updated 03.08.2021

PREAMBLE

The following provisions constitute the rules applicable for the Gjirafa50 Masters League, hereinafter referred to as “League”, its participants (hereinafter referred to as “Team(s)”), its players (hereinafter referred to as “Player(s)”) and all matches played in the League.

CS:GO RULEBOOK – GENERAL PROVISIONS

  1. STRUCTURE, APPLICABILITY

The Rulebook consists of (i) these general provisions, (ii) all League related rules stipulated in “Exhibit A – League Rules”, and (iii) all game related rules stipulated in “Exhibit B – Game Rules”.

  1. MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULEBOOK

The provisions of the Rulebook may be changed, deleted and complemented from time to time as follows:

  1. General provisions and League related rules

If not expressly stated otherwise, the general provisions of the Rulebook as well as the provisions stipulated in “Exhibit A – League Rules” may be changed, deleted and complemented only by the Gjirafa as organizer and operator of the League. For the avoidance of doubt: This also applies with regard to the implementation of new provisions into the Rulebook if they are (i) general provisions of the Rulebook, or (ii) contain League related rules.

  1. Game related provisions

If not expressly stated otherwise, the provisions stipulated in “Exhibit B – Game Rules” may be changed, deleted and complemented at Gjirafa’s most reasonable judgement (under consideration of the legitimate interests of the Teams in a fair and sportsmanlike League, and its best economic interest). For the avoidance of doubt: This also applies with regard to the implementation of new game related provisions into the Rulebook “Exhibit B – Game Rules”.

  1. VALIDITY OF THE RULEBOOK

If any provision of the Rulebook is invalid or impracticable in whole or in part this shall not affect the validity of the remaining part of this Rulebook. In lieu of the invalid or impracticable provision an appropriate provision shall apply which is nearest to the intent of to what would have been the intention in keeping with the meaning and purpose of the Rulebook.

  1. LOCAL LAWS

If any rules or procedures are in conflict with local laws, they will be adjusted to be aligned with the laws in a way to stay as close as possible to the originally intended effect.

EXHIBIT A – LEAGUE RULES

  1. GENERAL
    1. League Referees
      • Gjirafa shall designate League Referees which are responsible for the League administration and the process of the gaming operation. Gjirafa may change any League Referees at any time at its own discretion. Each Team can contact the League Referees via email at: [email protected]. 
    2. Confidentiality

The content of protests, support tickets, discussions or any other correspondence between Teams/Players and the League Referees shall be deemed strictly confidential and may only be revealed to Gjirafa and its representative bodies. The publication of such material is prohibited without a prior written approval from either the Tournament Director or Gjirafa.

  1. Code of Conduct

All Teams and Players agree to behave in a sportsmanlike and respectful manner towards other Teams and Players, spectators, the press, the broadcast team, League Referees, officials, and Gjirafa, including without limitation in accordance with the provisions set out in the Code of Conduct.

  1. Communication

The main official communication method of the League is email. The League will use the email address of the Teams and/or Players which has been provided at the beginning of the season, therefore this email address should always be kept updated and checked regularly so that no important announcements are missed.

  1. LEAGUE SPECIFICATIONS
    1. Home Country/Region

The eligibility criteria for Players to participate in the League is that their home country must be from Albania, Kosova, North Macedonia or any European Region (as listed in the Worldometers: https://www.worldometers.info/geography/how-many-countries-in-europe/) or a legal entity from the European region. If it seems reasonable, the Tournament Director may modify the Country/player format before the season starts.

A Player’s home country is the country where his main place of residence is. For a Team, this is determined by the home region the majority of the Players belong to or where the legal entity is registered in. If there is no such majority, a Team may have no home country or even no home region. In that case, the Team cannot take part in qualifiers restricted to a country or region. The League Referees may grant an exception to this rule upon request, as long as the majority of the matches (>75%) is still played out of the respective region.

  1. Nicknames and Team names

No sponsor tags are allowed in the nickname/team names unless the League’s Referees allow it upon a Team’s request, submitted to the League Referees via e-mail at least 7 days in advance. Furthermore, nicknames/team names are forbidden if they:

  • are protected by third-party rights and the user has no written permission to use it
  • resemble or if they are identical to a brand or trademark, no matter whether it has been registered or not
  • resemble or if they are identical to a real person other than themselves
  • use names of GJIRAFA products/services
  • are nonsense

In addition to the above, any nicknames that are purely commercial (e.g. product names), defamatory, pejorative, offensive, vulgar, obscene, anti-Semitic, inciting hatred, or offending against good manners are forbidden. Using alternative spelling, gibberish or wrong spelling in order to avoid the requirements mentioned above is forbidden.

  1. Player Accounts

Every Player must have his game account registered with the League. This is including but not limited to:

  • for Players: SteamID for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  1. Changes to the Team Accounts

Any changes to the Team account must be pre-approved by the League Referees.

This includes but is not limited to:

  • Adding or removing Players
  • Changing the Team name
  • Changing the Team logo

Any proposed changes to the Team name, logo, tag or Player nicknames must be requested at least 48 hours before the next scheduled match for the Team/Player at issue. Additionally, if during a Season, a legal entity drops or loses a majority of its Players and those Players, with the consent of the League, reconstitute to continue in the League for the remainder of the Season as a new Team, the  League shall have the option of requiring such new Team to finish the Season playing under the name “ex-[former team]“ or to create a new Team name and logo.

As for the transfer of Players, the Transfer Regulations apply.

  1. Publisher Bans

The League Referees reserve the right to refuse Players who have standing bans from the game publisher to take part in the League. CSGO VAC bans are specifically honored, but only until 2 years after they have been issued.

  1. Minimum Age

In order to be eligible to be a member of a Roster and to compete in the League, each Player must be 16 years  of age or older by the date of the Roster Submission Deadline (as defined in the Transfer Rules) for the particular Season in which he/she is to compete.

  1. Mature Content

Sponsors or partners that are solely or widely known for pornographic, drug use or other adult/mature themes and/or products are not allowed to be associated with or to sponsor the League.

2.8 Legal Entity

The Teams qualified in the Group Stage must be registered as legal entities (NGO, company, or any other legal form) in one of the allowed Home Countries as defined under Point 2.1 and have a Unique Identification Number (UIN/ NIPT) and a bank account related to this UIN, where the prize money shall be transferred.

  1. COMPETITION FORMAT AND PARTICIPATION RULES
  1. The competition is held in two separate tournament sessions: Gjirafa50 Masters League and Gjirafa50 Masters Finals.
  1. Gjirafa50 Masters League is played in three stages: (1) Group Stage, (2) Swiss Main Stage and (3) Playoff.

3.2.1 The Group stage is played between 24 teams divided into 6 groups of 4 teams. Teams within each group will play in a best of three (bo3) round-robin format. A win in the Group stage is rewarded with 2(two) points. 

3.2.2. The Swiss Main Stage is played by the teams ranked 1st of each group and best 4 teams ranked second from 6 groups. In total, 10 teams qualify in the Swiss Stage from Group Stage. From all the teams ranked 2nd in their group, 4 teams that have the best rank between them move to Swiss Stage. Qualification points are the same as per: 5.4.  In Swiss Stage  invited teams will be added to the form of the 16 teams needed for the Swiss Stage. 

3.2.3. The Playoff is played by the 8 best teams qualified after the Swiss Stage.

  1. Gjirafa50 Masters League is divided into sessions . The season consists of the 3 stages during which the teams play each other in the format mentioned in 3.2. The two best  teams of each group advance to the Swiss Main Stage. In this stage, 4 invited teams will be added to form the 16 teams needed for the Swiss Main Stage. The eight best  of these teams qualify for the Playoff. In the Playoff seams play one single-elimination best of three (bo3) match, where pairings are decided from the performance in the previous stage. The 1st place is paired with the 8th (slot 1), 2nd with 7th (slot 2), 3rd with 6th (slot 3), 4th with 5th (slot 4). The 4 winning teams from the playoff qualify for Gjirafa50 Masters Finals.
  1. Teams are eligible to compete in Gjirafa50 Masters League if they are qualified through the open qualifiers, or are directly invited from the previous season. Gjirafa holds the right to invite teams at any stage during the regular season duration.
  1. At the end of each season, teams that are ranked best(1st) in the Group Stage in their group, are directly invited for the next season.
  1. Gjirafa50 Masters Finals is played between 4 teams, which are qualified from Gjirafa50 Masters League as mentioned 3.3.
  1. Gjirafa50 Masters Finals is organized in a Double-Elimination Bracket. All games are best-of-three (bo3), except for the Grand Final, which is played as a best-of-five (bo5) match.
  1.  Matches for the Gjirafa50 Masters Finals are decided from the results of the Playoff. The team that was ranked in the 1st slot  plays against the team that was placed in the 4th slot, and the team that was placed in the 2nd slot  plays against the team that was placed in the 3rd slot.
  1. All teams must confirm their participation and send their final roster, as specified under “TRANSFER RULES”, at least one week prior to the start of the tournament, be it Gjirafa50 Masters League or Gjirafa50 Masters Finals.
  1. If a team fails to confirm its participation, or send their full roster by the aforementioned deadline, Gjirafa considers that the team is not participating in the tournament, and replaces the team with another one.
  1. If a replacement is needed from point 3.10, for Gjirafa50 Masters League Group Stage the team with the best result from the open qualifiers, that didn’t qualify for the tournament will be chosen. For Gjirafa50 Masters League Swiss Stage or Playoff, the team with the next best result from the previous stage will be chosen. For Gjirafa50 Masters Finals the team disqualified from the missing team will replace the missing team.
  1. If a team confirms its participation, but won’t be able to show up for the match in the specified time, it must inform the tournament officials through official email at [email protected] , 96 hours prior to the scheduled time of the match.
  1. If a team fails to show up for a match in the specified time, the team is disqualified from the tournament and forfeits all its rights to prize money. If the team didn’t submit a prior notice of not being able to show up for the match, as mentioned in 3.11, the team is banned from participating in any future tournaments organized by Gjirafa in addition to being disqualified and forfeiting all its rights to prize money that hasn’t been paid to date.
  1. PRIZE MONEY
    1. Payment of Prize Money

Prize money will be determined by Gjirafa. All prize money shall be paid out via bank transfer within 90 days after completion of the League finals. ​​The recipient will receive an amount that is lessened by any taxes, charges or any bank transaction fees. In addition, all the organizations that participate in the tournament, to be able to receive the money,  should be in compliance with the OFAC( Office of Foreign Assets Control) .

  1. Prize Money Distribution

The total prize money distributed in the second season is EUR 75,000.

Gjirafa50 Masters League Prize Pool
1st Place€34,000.00
2nd Place€13,000.00
3rd Place€8,000.00
4th Place€5,500.00
5th Place€2,250.00
6th Place€2,250.00
7th Place€2,250.00
8th Place€2,250.00
9th Place€900.00
10th Place€900.00
11th Place€900.00
12th Place€600.00
13th Place€600.00
14th Place€600.00
15th Place€500.00
16th Place€500.00
Total€75,000.00
  1. Withholding of Prize Money

The Tournament Director or Gjirafa reserves the right to withhold any pending payment of prize money if any infringements of the provisions set out in this Rulebook have been discovered or reported/protested during the league season or during anytime during anytime before the date when the payment of the prize money is due.

  1. Transfer of Prize Money

The prize money will be advanced as a bank transfer as specified by the Team. Failure to provide sufficient information for the payments will result in payments not being made. If a Team has not collected its prize money before the end of the third year after the initial payment date, the prize money shall be forfeited. The money of the Prize pool will be paid to the Team as a legal entity and not to private bank accounts of the players, unless specified that account is the official account of the legal entity as-well.

  1. MATCH PROCEDURES
    1. Match Start / Punctuality

All matches of the League should start as stated on the website under https://masters.gjirafa50.com or https://gj.al/MastersLeague. Any changes of the time must be accepted by the League Referees. All Teams and Players in a match should be on the server and ready to go at the latest fifteen (15) minutes before the start of the match.

  1. Request a New Game Server

Teams must report game server issues no later than five (5) minutes before the scheduled start time of the match. Failure to do so will forfeit a Team’s right to request a game server change at Gjirafa’s discretion.

  1. Determining the “Better Seed” for the League Finals!!!

Coin tosses are the last resort, so whenever a clear seeding is in place one Team shall be declared as the “better seed”. This Team then has the choice about who starts in the map-veto/pick process.

  • In offline group stages, the tournament seeding will be used to determine the “better seed”.
  • In offline playoffs, whenever one Team has his first match in the playoffs, the Team that had the better result in the preceding offline group stage shall be considered the “better seed”.
  • In online competition, the tournament seeding will be used to determine the “better seed”. Coin toss will be used in case there is no tournament seeding.
  1. Ranking during the League 

Only the active ranking rule from this Rulebook is valid, not the ranking that is displayed on Gjirafa’s websites.

As envisaged under Paragraph 3.2, the League is played in 3 stages before the Finals: (1) Group Stage, (2) Swiss Main Stage, and (3) Playoff a best-of-three round-robin mode. Teams are ranked in order of their accumulated points in the Group Stage and win-record in the Swiss Main Stage. The 8 best ranked teams from the Mains Swiss Stage move to the Playoff that is played in a single elimination bracket. If a number of teams are tied by points at the end of the Group Stage , their ranking order will be decided as described below.

When it comes to round scores, every overtime (OT) will be considered with the score of 16:15 for the winner. If after any point from 1. to 6., the number of tied participants is reduced or divided into several groups of tied participants, the still tied participants will in each case be compared again starting with the first point.

In case of games versus a team that has been disqualified, or has resigned, all the teams drawn against them in Swiss Stage, get a default win. The default win are considered a 1:0 Map win(16:0 rounds). The games that the disqualified/resigned team has played before remain with the same result.

  1. Points amassed between the tied participants
  2. Overall map difference
  3. Overall number of map wins
  4. Overall round score difference
  5. Overall number of round wins
  6. Direct Match

If the above points bring no further differentiation (this can only occur in case of a three-way-tie or five-way-tie), overtimes will be played among the tied teams until no ties remain that are relevant for qualification or seeding. Any other ties will not be resolved by overtimes, but prize money for the shared ranks will be split among the tied teams.

The match order of the overtimes will be determined before the start of the first one. The first match-up is randomly determined. The next match-up will be chosen by the League based on the nature of the tie and the importance of the ranks (e.g., if the tie happens in a group where only the first place matters and the tie is for ranks 1-3, the second match will be the one with the winner of the first match).

Overtimes will be played on the same map, which will be determined by veto. Order of the map veto process is ABCCBA, and the remaining map is played, it gets randomly determined which team is A/B/C. The sides are randomly determined in the first match, after that, each team has to start on the other side first (which determines the rest of the side choices).

None of the overtimes (OTs) can end as a draw, it then gets continued until a winner is determined. The result of a multi-OT match will always be counted as 4:3 for all ranking purposes.

If after any point from 1-6. the number of tied teams is reduced or split up into different groups of tied teams, the tiebreaker process will be restarted from point 7.

  1. Sort by win-loss difference in the tiebreaker overtimes.
  2. Sort by round score difference in the tiebreaker OTs.
  3. Sort by number of round wins in the tiebreaker OTs.

If there are still unsolved ties, replay the tiebreaker OTs.

In special cases, the Tournament Director can rule in a different way to determine the order in an unsolved tie (i.e. coin toss).

  1. Storage and Keeping of Match Media

All match media (screenshots / demos / replays etc.) must be stored by the Team for a minimum of two (2) weeks after each completion of a match. If there is a protest on the match, the records need to be stored by the Team for a minimum of two (2) weeks after the protest has been closed and resolved.

  1. Interviews

For every game, one Player from each Team must be available for an interview (remotely for online matches). The team has to provide contact information for an interview in that case. The player should also be available for a comment after the match.

  1. Video Presentation

In videos (e.g. interviews, feature videos or similar) that happen from an environment not controlled by Gjirafa, the visible surroundings/background should be kept neutral, clean and presentable. If a team plans to showcase any sponsors, logos or advertisements (e.g. in a background banner or placed items), the planned settings need to be revised and approved by the League Referees upon receival of such information by the teams via email, at least 24 hours prior to the showcase, either video or image. In any case, obvious promotion of sponsor products (including consumption) is not allowed. Brand logos may never appear bigger than the players’ faces on screen.

  1. Voice Communication & Recording

Team communication during matches is limited to the five players and one coach. Teams need to provide details of their TeamSpeak server as well as full access to Gjirafa. Other Communication tools are only allowed if they are tested and cleared by Gjirafa upon request of the team submitted at least 2 hours before the matches.

Gjirafa reserves the right to record all communication during League matches.

5.10 Broadcasting

Gjirafa owns full and undisputed copyright on the game image and video, and/or any other relevant media recording (the ‘Records’). Any broadcasting and/or streaming of such Records on: social media platforms, digital platforms, tv, radio, and any other platform, by any League participant, team, player or coach shall be strictly prohibited.

In case of breach of this broadcasting prohibition, the breaching party and its related team shall be excluded from two consecutive future participations in Gjirafa tournaments and shall be penalised up to EUR 5000 (five thousand euros). In addition, if the breaching party/Team is a prize winner, they shall not receive the money of the prize.

Broadcasting and/or streaming are only allowed for news reporting purposes upon permission granted by Gjirafa upon receival of request on its official email [email protected].

6. MATCH PROTESTS

  1. Definition

A protest is the official communication between the Teams and the League Referees regarding any irregularities, infringements or other concerns in the League. A protest may also be filed to the League Referees during a match for things like incorrect server settings and other related issues.

  1. Contents of a Match Protest

The protest must contain detailed information about why the protest was filed, on which grounds it is filed and when the alleged incident happened. A protest may be declined by the League Referees if proper documentation is not presented via official email at [email protected] as soon as possible, but in no case later than 48 hours of such alleged incident. A simple statement such as “they are cheaters” will not be considered for review by the League Referees.

  1. Deadline for Match Protests

The latest time Teams are allowed to issue a match protest is the earliest of the three following:

  • 72 hours after the scheduled starting time of the match;
  • only at offline events: the beginning of the next match for either of the two Teams (a minimum of 10 minutes has to be kept between two matches by all Teams);
  • only at offline events: the end of the event day (departure of the League Referees).
  1. EVENT RULES
    1. Punctuality

We expect every player to be at the tournament area as stated in the Leagues info mails to setup, prepare and solve any technical problems that might occur. If the Player becomes aware that he/she will be late on one of the days, he/she shall inform a League Referee as soon as possible, but not later than 2 hours before the scheduled time of the match. Mitigating circumstances and attempts to inform Gjirafa about the delay and minimize the impact will be benevolently considered. The following penalties may apply in the first case (repeat offences will be more severely punished):

  • In case of arriving between the requested time and 30 minutes before match start

–  Warning,

  • for every 5 minutes later arrival (29-25 / 24-20 / 19-15 / etc.) – one Minor Penalty (i.e. One round less of the score line. For illustrative purposes: If a Team wins by 5 rounds, 1 round will be subtracted, hence it will be considered to have won by 4 rounds).

If a participant is not ready to play at the latest 15 minutes after the scheduled time, the Tournament Director can decide to award (partial) default losses or disqualify the participant or the Team.

  1. Causing Delay

If the match gets delayed due to late arrival (e.g. because of technical problems that could have been discovered beforehand without the lateness) or because of general misbehavior:

–      for every (partial) 5 minutes delay in the match start caused by this (1- 5 / 6-10 / 11-15 / etc) – three Minor Penalties.

  1. Equipment

For offline events Gjirafa provides monitors and computers. Participants have to bring their own equipment (in particular: Keyboard, Mouse, Mousepad, In-Ear headphones with long enough cables, PS2->USB adapters if needed). For online events participants must rely fully on their own equipment.

All player equipment is subject to the approval of League Referees. The Tournament Director inspects the equipment and/or devices of the Team at least 1 hour prior to the initiation of the game. The Tournament Director reserves the right to deny the use of any equipment and/or device providing an unfair competitive advantage. Players might be asked to hand in their equipment for additional checks during the game.

  1. Config and Drivers

All participants have to send  their configs and drivers until a specific deadline set by the League Referees before the event, which will be notified to the Teams via email. If any player or team doesn’t send in their configs and drivers they have to manually setup their config on site and play with default drivers.

  1. Clothing

For offline events, the players and teams need to ensure that they are all in equal colored clan attire, orderly long trousers and closed shoes (i.e. shorts and flip-flops are not allowed). Any kind of headwear is forbidden. Penalties will be awarded for minor violations of this rule, but in major cases (for example but not limited to offensive content, other team clothing etc.), players will not be allowed to start their matches before the non-compliant piece of clothing has been replaced. If possible and deemed appropriate by the League Referees, Gjirafa will provide suitable clothing for the participants that are not dressed according to the rule. The cost of provided clothing will then be subtracted from the prize money paid out to the participants. Any delay caused by change of clothing will be considered the players fault and penalised according to the rules of punctuality.

  1. League Referees

The instructions of League Referees must always be obeyed and followed – failure to do so may result in penalty points being awarded.

  1. Player Brief

The player brief is a document that will be sent to the participants by mail before the tournament. It is meant as an extension to this Rulebook for a specific offline event and is equally binding.

  1. Technical Checklist

After completing their setup process the player will sign off on the League Referees technical checklist. This process exists to ensure the integrity of the system used to compete before the match starts.

  1. Team Communication Tool

Gjirafa will provide local TeamSpeak servers for all participants in team games to use as the main voice communication system. The communication on the voice server will be monitored by the League Referees. Gjirafa reserves the right to record all TeamSpeak communication during the event. No other communication tools are allowed.

  1. Media Obligations

If the League decides that one or more players need to be part of interviews (short pre/post match interviews and/or longer interview-sessions), a press conference or an autograph-, photograph- or video-session, then the players cannot refuse to participate and and must attend and be available accordingly. Most events will have a mandatory media day, where participants will be photographed, filmed and interviewed by Gjirafa for the event presentation. The participants will receive via email a media schedule beforehand to be informed about nature, duration and schedule of any activities of this kind that take more than 5 minutes.

  1. Missing Media Obligations

Not fulfilling the media obligations will result in monetary fines. Their range depends on the details. The following fines are standard punishments for the most common cases:

  • Not showing up completely and on time for the media day:  5% of the prize money winnings;
  • Appearing with an incomplete lineup or too late for a signing session:
    • 1-30% of the lineup missing: 0.75% of the prize money winnings
    • 31-50% of the lineup missing: 1% of the prize money winnings
    • 51-70% of the lineup missing:1.25% of the prize money winnings
    • 71-99% of the lineup missing: 1.5% of the prize money winnings
    • 100% of the lineup missing:  2.5% of the prize money winnings
  • Appearing with an incomplete lineup or too late for a press conference:
    • 1-30% of the lineup missing: 0.45% of the prize money winnings
    • 31-50% of the lineup missing: 0.60% of the prize money winnings
    • 51-70% of the lineup missing: 0.75% of the prize money winnings
    • 71-99% of the lineup missing: 0.90% of the prize money winnings
    • 100% of the lineup missing: 1.5% of the prize money winnings

Similar punishments will be applied if other, comparable media obligations are missed. The fines can be reduced if the participant shows up with delay but still early enough to create the required content/have a reasonable session. The fines can be also/further reduced if the participant delivers proof of mitigating circumstances. The decision about the applicable punishment will be made by the Tournament Director in his sole discretion.

  1. Stage Matches

Each participant is required to play his/their stage matches, if they reach them. This part is an integral component of the tournament and exceptions will not be allowed.

  1. Gaming Areas for offline events
  2. Food, Drinks, Smoking and Behavior

Unless otherwise announced, it is forbidden to bring or eat any food in the tournament areas. Smoking or vaping is also strictly prohibited. Players are allowed to have beverages, but only in cups or bottles that have been provided by Gjirafa, and only below the table unless instructed otherwise. Exaggerated loud noise and offensive language are forbidden. Participants have to follow the hotel or venue rules in the practice areas. Any violations shall be proportionally punished with penalty points by the League Referees.

  1. Removable Media

It is strictly forbidden to connect or use any removable media on the tournament computers without prior examination and approval from the League Referees.

  1. Mobile Phones, Tablets, Cameras or Similar Devices

Participants are not allowed to bring any electronic devices, cameras or similar devices into the gaming area unless priorly permitted by the Tournament Director. Such devices have to be handed to League Referees before starting to setup before the first match.

Participants are not allowed to take photos and/or make any recordings on stage and during the opening ceremonies. The Broadcasting prohibition foreseen under Point 5.10 apply at all times, ie. for online and offline events.

Paper versions of documents for tactical purposes are allowed in reasonable sizes and numbers (e.g. a notebook).

  1. Unused items

Items that are not immediately necessary (e.g. clothing that is not being worn, bags etc.) have to be stored out of sight as indicated by Gjirafa.

  1. Internet Access

Internet access on tournament computers is disabled for all participants.

  1. Warm-Up Period

A warm-up period of 30 minutes is normally provided before a League match, although this period may not be guaranteed.

  1. Demos and Replays

All demos or replays must be made available if requested by the League Referees.

  1. Demo and Replay Rights

Gjirafa reserves the right to play, and/or upload to the Gjirafa site, all demos that are recorded in a Gjirafa tournament.

  1. Photo and Other Media Rights

By participating, all players and other team members grant Gjirafa the right to use any photographic, audio or video material on its website or for any other promotional purpose. Additionally, each player has to sign two copies of a release form that he will receive beforehand for reading and have to sign before he starts his first match.

  1. Winners Ceremony

Participants have to stay in the tournament area for the winners ceremony after the Grand Final.

  1. Gjirafa-provided Areas

Only marketing activities that have been authorized by the Tournament Director are allowed in any Gjirafa-provided areas (e.g. tournament areas, practice rooms, hotel rooms etc.).

  1. SANCTIONS
    1. General
      • This Rulebook contains specific sanctions, especially regarding the penalty points, for infringements of the provisions and rules outlined in the Rulebook. These sanctions are exhaustive. 
      • Sanctions shall be determined by the League Referees at their sole discretion to the best of their knowledge and judgement in an appropriate, proportionate and adequate manner. Notwithstanding the foregoing, decisions regarding severe infringements of these Rulebook shall be delegated to Gjirafa’s Members’ Meeting.
      • The League Referees shall impose the sanction according to the nature of infringement, the individual culpability, profits generated through the violation, the severity level of the violation, number of previous violations and Team’s and/or Player’s subsequent behavior (e.g. whether Team cured a violation without undue delay).
      • The League Referees may increase the sanction as deemed appropriate if an infringement has been repeated. The League Referees in cooperation with the Gjirafa commissioner may also reduce the sanction if the Team’s or Player’s misconduct is less severe and imposition of the sanction outlined in this Rulebook would be inappropriate.
      • As for the imposition of sanctions, the appeal and the scope of sanctions, the final judgment of the Gjirafa’s Members’ Meeting shall apply.
    2. Penalty Points
      • Punishments are given for rule violations within the League. They may be either minor or major penalty points, default losses, player/team barrages or disqualification, dependent on the incident in question. Participants will be informed about the punishment by mail and will be given a time until which they can appeal the decision. Only the Team Leader or his designated spokesperson are eligible to make appeals.
      • Minor penalty points are given for minor incidents such as not uploading required match media, insufficient match statements, insufficient information on a team account or other related material, and so on. Every minor penalty point deducts one percent (1%) of the overall prize money received by the team or player in the competition it is given.
      • Major penalty points are given for major incidents such as deliberately deceiving admins, failing to show up for matches, repeated rule breaking, and so on. Every major penalty point deducts ten percent (10%) of the overall prize money for that competition.
      • Monetary fines are given for failure to fulfill obligations that are not directly related to the tournament, like press/media appointments, or planned sessions for fan interaction.
      • Minor and major penalty points can be given cumulatively.
      • Any deducted prize-money will be proportionally added to the remaining eligible Teams.
    3. Breach of Etiquette

For an orderly and pleasant game it is essential that all Teams and Players have a sporting and fair attitude. Breaches of this rule will be sanctioned. The most important and most common offences are listed below.

  • Insults

All insults occurring in connection with the League will be punished with one

(1) to six (6) minor penalty points. This primarily applies to insults during a match but also on the Gjirafa (on all Gjirafa gaming websites) or forums, match comments, Player guest books, support and protest tickets, etc..

Particularly severe abuse cases with radical statements or the threat of physical violence can result in significantly heavier penalties to be imposed under the regime of the Sanctions Regulations.

Depending on the nature and severity of the insult the penalty will be either assigned to the Team or to the Player.

  • Spamming

The excessive posting of senseless, harassing or offensive messages is regarded as spamming in the League. Spamming on GJIRAFA websites (forums, match comments, Player guest books, support and protest tickets, etc.) will be sanctioned with one (1) to six (6) minor penalty points.

  • Spamming In-game

Three (3) minor penalty points will be awarded if the chat function in-game is abused towards the goal of annoying the opponent, or generally stir the flow of the play. All chat functions are there to communicate efficiently with the opponent and the League Referees.

  • Damaging or Soiling

Participants taking action that could or does result in damage or soiling of rooms, furniture, equipment or similar items will be fined. The fine will be based on the cost to restore the original state, handling efforts to fix the issue and damage reputation with third parties or the public.

  1. Misconduct

The attempt to mislead League Referees or other Players, using false information, or in any other way deceive other Players or Teams will be sanctioned as follows.

  • Faking Match media

Faking match media may result in one (1) to four (4) minor penalty points. When cheating is suspected, and the match media in question has been faked, six (6) minor penalty points will be awarded.

  • Ringer/Faker

Any Players involved in faking or ringing a Player will be banned for two (2) matches, also, one (1) major penalty point will be awarded for the Team per incident. 

  • Cheating

When cheating is discovered twelve (12) minor penalty points will be awarded to the Team. The Team will be disqualified from the current season of the League and the Player will be banned from the League for two (2) years.

The use of the following programs will result in a cheat ban: Multihacks, Wallhack, Aimbot, Colored Models, No-Recoil, No-Flash and Sound changes.

These are only examples, other programs or methods may be considered cheats as well.

  • Delaying the Match

Match starts are absolute unless changes have been confirmed by Gjirafa. Not starting a match as scheduled will result in three (3) Minor Penalties. For every five (5) minutes the match start is being delayed further, the Team will receive additional three (3) minor penalty points. After 15 minutes the Team is considered as no show.

  • No show

If a Team is not ready to play 15 minutes after the official match starting time, the Team will be considered as no show and will receive a default loss. For each default loss a Team is awarded during the season, the Team will be fined with EUR 100. The penalty needs to be paid at least 24h before the next match unless otherwise specified by Gjirafa. Once a Team receives four default losses during a season, the Team will be disqualified from the League.

  1. Penalties and Consequences for Leaving the League
    • Disqualification

If a Team gets disqualified from a Season of the League (be it during or after that Season), the Team forfeits all prize money accumulated for the whole Season.

  • Leaving during an ongoing Season

If a Team leaves the League during an ongoing Stage, the Team forfeits all prize money accumulated for the whole Season.

  • Deletion of Matches

All matches involving Teams that have left a season of the League before it ended will be deleted. In playoff brackets the most recent or the next upcoming match (depending on the situation) of the Team will be considered a default win for his opponent.

  • Ban for Players

If a Team leaves or gets disqualified from the League during an ongoing season, all its Players get banned until the end of the season.

EXHIBIT B – GAME RULES

  1. GAME VERSION

The tournament will use the latest available version of the game client. If the latest available version is considered unplayable due to bugs or extreme balance changes within close proximity by the Tournament Director, an older version might be used if it’s available for rollback. Any update during the event will result in a rollback to the original version if deemed necessary by the Tournament Director (if possible).

  1. ANTI-CHEAT

FaceIT AC Client is mandatory for all players to use for the full duration of all matches played online and offline. If a player cannot use FaceIT AC Client then they are not allowed to take part in a match. Players are responsible for having their login credentials available to them at the time of the competition and for having their 2- factor authentication setup correctly.

  1. MAP SELECTION PROCEDURES
    1. Map pool

The League will use the current competitive map pool which consists of the following maps:

  • Vertigo (de_vertigo)
  • Dust2 (de_dust2)
  • Inferno (de_inferno)
  • Mirage (de_mirage)
  • Nuke (de_nuke)
  • Overpass (de_overpass)
  • Ancient (de_ancient)
  1. Offline Stage

Only two selected people from each team can participate in the map selection process. During the map selection process, first statement coming from the team towards the Tournament Referee will count as ban or pick and it cannot be reverted. Each team has a total of 150 seconds to make all of their picks and bans, which can be split up on the single steps as teams prefer. When the time expires, the remaining picks and/or bans will be randomized by the Tournament Referee.

For Bo1 matches, the map selection process has to be done 20 minutes before the scheduled match starts. For Bo3 matches, the map selection process has to be done 30 minutes before the scheduled match starts. If there is a match being played immediately before the match in question, the latest time at which the map selection process has to be started is during the halftime of the potentially final map of the previous match. The time at which the map selection process is being done does not warrant the exact starting time of the match.

Map selection process can be done (potentially significantly) earlier if ordered by the League Referees.

The map vetoes must not be made public before Gjirafa has done so.

  1. Best-of-One (Bo1) Matches

The better seeded team determines if they are either Team A or Team B. Team A starts the process and the order of the ban / pick is as follows:

  1. Team A removes one map.
  2. Team B removes two maps.
  3. Team A removes two maps.
  4. Team B removes one map.
  5. Team A removes two maps.
  6. Team B removes one map.
  7. Remaining map is being played.

The sides on the map are determined by a knife round.

  1. Best-of-Three (Bo3) Matches

The better seeded team determines if they are either Team A or Team B. Team A starts the process and the order of the ban / pick is as follows:

  1. Team A removes one map.
  2. Team B removes one map.
  3. Team A picks one map.
  4. Team B picks one map.
  5. Team A removes one map.
  6. Team B removes one map.
  7. The remaining map is played as a decider, if required.

Every team decides sides on the map choice of their opponent. The sides on the last map are determined by a knife round.

  1. Best-of-Five (Bo5) Matches

The better seeded team determines if they are either Team A or Team B. Team A starts the process and the order of the ban / pick is as follows:

  1. Team A removes one map.
  2. Team B removes one map.
  3. Team A picks one map.
  4. Team B picks one map.
  5. Team A picks one map.
  6. Team B picks one map.
  7. The remaining map is played as a decider, if required.

Every team decides sides on the map choice of their opponent. The sides on the last map are determined by a knife round.

  1. MATCH SETTINGS

The following match settings need to be used during official League matches:

  • Rounds: Best out of 30 (mp_maxrounds 30)
  • Round time: 1 minute 55 seconds (mp_roundtime 1.92)
  • Start money: EUR 800 (mp_startmoney 800)
  • Freeze time: 20 seconds (mp_freezetime 20)
  • Buy time: 20 seconds (mp_buytime 20)
  • Bomb timer: 40 seconds (mp_c4timer 40)
  • Overtime rounds: Best out of 6 (mp_overtime_maxrounds 6)
  • Overtime start money: EUR 16,000 (mp_overtime_startmoney 16000)
  • Round restart delay: 5 seconds (mp_round_restart_delay 5)
  • Break during half time: 2 minutes 30 seconds (mp_halftime_duration 150)
  • Break during half time in overtimes: disabled.
  1. OVERTIMES

In case of a draw after all 30 rounds have been played, an overtime will be played in best out of 6 mode (mp_maxrounds 6) and with EUR 16,000 start money (mp_startmoney 16000). For the start of the overtime teams will stay on the side which they played the previous half on, during half-time sites will be swapped. Teams will continue to play overtimes until a winner has been found.

  1. MATCH SERVER

Matches are played on the servers provided by FaceIT. Teams are required to check all the necessary game aspects (including skins, bugs on load etc.) and network components (latency and server variance) before starting the match. Failure to do so, and to let the match start, will mean that both teams have accepted the state the map is in, and the match can be continued under these conditions.

Matches start when both teams have typed ‘!ready’ in chat. A knife round will determine which side teams will play on. The Team Captain of the winning knife round team will have 60 seconds to choose if the team wants to stay or switch sides.

Each match has 4 timeouts of 60 seconds that can be manually taken by teams (like FaceIT premium matches). Teams also have a pause of 300 seconds during the match, that can be taken by ‘!pause’ command. (‘!pause’ again for unpause). These 300 seconds of pause can be used multiple times during the match, but the time will eventually expire.

  1. IN-GAME CHAT

It is not allowed to write about things that are not directly related to the match in the in-game chat. This is including but not limited to discussion of the technical issues and any sort of advertisement.

  1. COACHING
  2. Online Competition

Teams are allowed to have one Coach connected to the game server. Coaches are allowed to communicate with their team through the duration of the matches, unless instructed otherwise by the League Referees or administrators.

  1. Offline Competition

Teams are allowed to have one Coach behind the team during the official matches. During the match, the coach will be connected to the voice communication system and will only be allowed to talk to the players during the tactical pauses and half times. The Coach is not allowed to communicate in any other way (e.g. shouting) with players outside of the specified time windows.

Any coach found to be in breach of the communications restrictions outlined in this section will receive one (1) warning from the Referees. This warning stays in place for the duration of the event. If the violation is repeated, the Coach will be ousted from the game. The Coach forfeits his or her right to coach for the remainder of the match. Teams may be given a preemptive warning in case they have been known by the League Referees to abuse the warnings. In case of a preemptive warning, the first incident will be punished immediately.

Warnings are logged by the League Referees and may be reviewed for sanction purposes. If the first incident has clearly and relevantly impacted the game, the consequences for the Coach and/or the Team will be accordingly more severe and in compliance with the provisions under Section 7 of the Rulebook.

  1. USAGE OF PAUSE FUNCTION

The pause function can be used at any time but it will only come into effect during freeze time (immediately if used during freeze time, else at the beginning of the next freeze time).

  1. Online Qualifiers

Teams are limited to 2 (two) technical pauses and 4 (four) tactical pauses per Bo1. A technical pause can last no longer than 5 (five) minutes and each tactical pause can last no longer than 30 seconds. To call a pause, teams have to type “.pause” on the server and then announce the reason for a pause immediately after the match has been  paused.

  1. Offline Stage
    1. Technical Pause

If a player has a problem that prevents him from playing on, he is allowed to use the pause function. The technical pause function can be called by typing “.tech” or “.technical”. The player has to announce the reason before or immediately after he paused the match. During a technical pause, headsets have to stay on. Unless the League Referees instructs the match participant otherwise any form of communication including but not limited to text and voice communication between players and coaches is forbidden during a technical pause.

  1. Timeout

Each team is allowed to invoke a timeout (tactical pause) of 60 seconds up to four times per map. Timeouts can be called via the in-game vote system (ESC → Call Vote → Call Tactical Timeout). Teams are allowed to take all four timeouts at once by calling them all individually once the previous timeout expires. Team will not be given additional timeouts in the overtimes, but the unused timeouts can still be used in overtime.

  1. League Referee Pause

The League Referee can pause the game from his station or from a player station, when it is required. If for some reason the pausing command by the Player does not work, he has to request the admin to do it.

  1. PLAYER SETTINGS
  2. Configuration Files

All configuration changes are allowed as long as they do not give an unfair edge or advantage comparable to cheating. A player may be penalized for wrong settings in any config file, regardless if it is in use, or even stored in the game folder in question. The following commands are forbidden:

  • cl_showpos 1 – the value needs to be set to 0.

Teams are required to contact the League Referees if they are unsure on the validity of a command and its value. A team may be penalized for having forbidden commands in their configuration file, regardless if it was in use.

  1. Scripts

All scripts are illegal except for buy, toggle, demo and jumpthrow scripts. A team may be penalized for having forbidden scripts in their configuration file, regardless if it was in use.

  1. Graphics drivers

Any modification or changing of the game using external graphics solutions or other 3rd party programs are strictly prohibited and may be punished under the cheating paragraph.

  1. Overlays

All kinds of overlays which will show the usage rate of the system in any way in-game (e.g. Nvidia SLI display, Rivatuner Overlay) is forbidden. Overlays which will show only the frames per second (FPS) are not forbidden and can be used.

  1. Custom Data

Players are not allowed to use any form of custom game files during the official matches. Only CSGO skins are allowed to be changed, but the “Agent” player skins are forbidden. Any other changes, including but not limited to modification of sprites, HUDs and score boards are strictly disallowed.

  1. Device Drivers

Using device drivers to pre-install / pre-script illegal macros on the player’s devices (keyboard, mice, sound cards) is forbidden and may be punished under the cheating paragraph. League Referees reserve the right to request any piece of gear used by the players for inspection.

  1. In-Game nickname

Players are only allowed to use their own official nicknames – without any additions – during Gjirafa matches. Every player that has officially registered his nickname with the game publisher for sponsored events is required to use the same nickname for all Gjirafa matches.

  1. In-Game item’s nametag

Players are not allowed to use nametags on in-game items which violate the Code of Conduct.

  1. MATCH PROCEDURES
  2. Match Breaks

Teams will have at least 10 minutes of a break between matches and 8 minutes between maps in best-of-three and best-of-five matches. In best-of-five matches, team will also get an extended break (at least 15 minutes) between map 3 and 4. The exact times will be communicated by the League Referees. There are no breaks at half times.

  1. Number of Players

All matches have to be played with five players per team (5vs5), other constellations are not allowed. If a team fails to show up with enough players, the match will count as no-show.

If a player drops during an ongoing match, the ongoing round will be finished. If the map is not over, at that point, the game should be paused until the player can return or be replaced by a substitute. If the original player is unable to return and no replacement can be brought in, the team has the choice to forfeit the series or to continue it with four players.

If a team would have to play on with less than four players, the opposing team will receive a default win.

  1. Change of Players

Only players that are part of the team can be substituted in. The League Referees have to be informed beforehand.

  1. Changes in online competition

During online competition, lineup changes can be made only in between map changes of the match if there is a proper reason (i.e. connection problems). There shall not be any delay exceeding 5 minutes and excessive changes/abuse of this rule are forbidden.

  1. Changes in offline competition

During offline competition, lineup changes are only allowed in between map changes. The player will not receive additional time to set up compared to the time it would have taken with the original player.

  1. Match Interruptions

If a match is interrupted for reasons beyond the control of the participants (e.g. server or player crash), the League Referees will restore the round using the CSGO’s backup & restore feature, but in some scenarios (when the restoring is not feasible) may decide to replay the round or even a whole match.

  • If the issue takes place during the first minute of the round, before any damage has occurred and the opponent or referee has been immediately notified, the round will be restored.
  • If the issue takes place during a round and after the damage has been made and the outcome of the round can still be determined (e.g. a single player has dropped but others remain), then the round will not be replayed or restored. The round will continue to be played and will count. Special exceptions can be made if the damage dealt was ruled insignificant e.g. accidental teammate damage dealt at the start of the round or damage dealt to the opposing side by the team that was affected by the crash.
  • If the issue takes place during the round, after damage has occurred and the outcome of the round cannot be determined (e.g. due to server crash), the match will be restored to the beginning of the round.
  • If the issue takes place during the round, after damage has occurred and the outcome of the round is obvious (e.g. one team is saving with 10 seconds remaining), but it cannot be continued due to for example a server crash, then the round can be awarded.

The matches will not be stopped and/or rounds will not be restored or replayed in cases where it is clearly a participant’s fault (e.g. mis-buying a weapon).

  1. Use of Bugs and Glitches

The intentional use of any bugs, glitches, or errors in the game is forbidden. It is up to the League Referees whether or not the use of said bugs had an effect on the match, and whether or not he will award rounds, or the match to the opposing team, or to force a rematch. The usage of the following bugs is strictly forbidden, if any bug is used which is not listed here it is up to the League Referees discretion whether or not a punishment is necessary.

  • Moving through clipped areas where the movement is not intended by the design of the map is strictly forbidden (any walls, ceilings, floors etc).
  • The bomb may not be planted in a location where it cannot be defused. Planting the bomb in such a way that no one can hear the beeping sound or the planting sound is also forbidden.
  • Standing on top of teammates is generally allowed, it is only forbidden, when such actions allow the player to peek over, under and/or through a solid object (e.g. wall, box, ceiling) that should not be allowed according to map design.
  • Pixel walking is forbidden. A player will be considered to be pixel walking if they sit or stand on invisible pixels on the map, where there is no visible edge.

It is recommended to check with League Referees whether or not a certain bug or glitch is considered illegal/ forbidden.

The following bugs are explicitly allowed:

  • Defusing the bomb through walls and items etc.
  • So called “surfing” on tubes

The Tournament Director reserves the right, also retroactively, to add more bugs to the list of explicitly allowed bugs.

  1. New Positions

If any player or team wants to use a new position which is not commonly known, it’s strongly recommended to contact League Referees to check if that position is allowed before using it in any official match. Players and teams have to consider that it takes time to check new positions and therefore they have to contact League Referees in a reasonable time frame before an official match.

  1. Joining the wrong team

Joining the wrong team on the server is forbidden and may be penalized with one (1) minor penalty point.

EXHIBIT C – TRANSFER RULES

  1. TRANSFER PERIODS
    1. Each Team shall submit to the League Referees its final roster of five (5) active Players participating in the tournament with up to two (2) Substitutes and only one (1) Coach  by the time specified in Gjirafa’s website masters.gjirafa50.com (Roster Submission Deadline).  A Substitute may be introduced as an active Player by a Team at any stage of the Season. The Substitution may be done for any reason in place of one of the existing Players on said team at any time during the season. Introducing a Substitute shall not be considered a Transfer under this Rulebook. 
    2. Players that were not engaged* with a team participating in Gjirafa50 Masters League or Gjirafa50 Masters Finals can be transferred to any of the teams before any of the league stages.
    3. Players that were engaged* with a team participating in Gjirafa50 Masters League at any stage, can not be transferred to another team participating in Gjirafa50 Masters League or Gjirafa50 Masters Finals. The Player can join the other team only before the start of the new season of Gjirafa50 Masters League.
    4. Transfers are prohibited during Gjirafa50 Masters Finals.
    5. A Team may Transfer any number of Players to or from its roster per rules mentioned in points 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, however the roster must contain 60% of the players submitted as the final roster at the beginning of the season.
    6. Only in the event of extraordinary circumstances, a Team can petition the Tournament Director for a Transfer that otherwise would be prohibited. The decision for the Emergency Transfer shall be at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director. The Team requesting the Emergency Transfer shall provide to the Tournament Director all relevant information concerning the circumstances of the emergency requested that may be necessary in order for the Tournament Director to fully consider the request.
    7. A Player may only be engaged* by one Team at a time during a Season, i.e. a Player is not allowed to have any form of agreement (oral or written, explicit or implied) simultaneously with two or more Teams, during the pertinent Season.
    8. Transfer Period and Rules may be subject of change in the upcoming league sessions and finals. The changes are at the sole discretion of Gjirafa and its officials.
      *engaged=played at least one game or is in contract with the team
  2. TRANSFER PROCESS

For Transfering a Player, the following process must be followed:

2.1 If a Team wants to Transfer in a Player that is not a Free Agent, 

(a) the Team from which the Player is to be Transferred from must be informed prior to any direct or indirect contact with the Player, and 

(b) an agreement between the two pertinent Teams specifying all of the material terms and conditions for said Transfer must be reached, reduced to writing and signed.

2.2 If a Team wants to Transfer in a Player that is a Free Agent, 

(a) the Team from which the Player is to be Transferred (if any) need not be informed prior to any direct or indirect contact with the Player and 

(b) an agreement between the Team and said Player specifying all of the material terms and conditions for said Transfer must be reached, reduced to writing and signed.

2.3 In the event the League Referees has a good faith question regarding whether a given pending Transfer may be, or a completed Transfer was made, in violation of these regulations, the material details of the Transfer (including but not limited to the name of the Player, the duration of the contract, the Player’s contract(s) and any other pertinent terms or conditions associated with said Transfer), must be presented to the League Referees for its review and approval. The League Referees shall handle this material with the highest confidentiality.

2.4 Teams may rely on the Player Roster Database to specify whether a Player is or is not a Free Agent. In the event of any disagreement as to a Player’s status, the final determination shall rest with the Gjirafa. Any misrepresentation regarding a Player’s contractual status within the Player Roster Database shall be penalised accordingly by the League Referees, including up to termination of the license to participate in the League.

  1. TRANSFER APPROVAL 

3.1 The Transfer of a Player shall come into effect upon (i) notifying the League Referees of the Transfer in writing together with an updated Team sheet and receiving approval of the League Referees; and (ii) the adding up of the Player by the new Team to the Player Roster Database. 

3.2 The League Referees shall provide their decision for approval or rejection of any proposed Transfer within five (5) working days after receipt of the written request; provided that if a Team submits a request for an accelerated decision in order to not  interrupt scheduled matches,the League Referees shall make its best endeavors to provide such decision as soon as reasonably possible.

3.3 The League Referees may reject any Transfer, in which case the Player(s) may not be Transferred to another Team if:

  • the League Referees or the Gjirafa determines in its sole discretion that the proposed Transfer would be in violation of any provision(s) of the Rulebook inclusive of all its Exhibits –  unless the parties amend any such violation (if amandable) within 10 days after being advised of what provision(s) the proposed Transfer violates;
  • the Transfer has not been fully or accurately specified to the League Referees;
  • the competitive balance of the League would otherwise be seriously disturbed at the sole discretion of the Gjirafa.
  1. LOAN OF PLAYERS

No Player may be loaned to another Team except when:

  1. the loan shall count as a Transfer, 
  2. the said loan shall be for the continuity of the entire Season (i.e., said Player shall not be permitted to return to his/her original Team for the duration of the Season in which he/she is loaned out);

Regardless of the above, nothing shall prevent Players from being loaned on a temporary basis for participating in nationality-based competitions (e.g., the Olympics) provided that said competition does not interfere in any way with said Player(s) from fulfilling all of his/her obligations and competing in all of the matches required by the League when, where and as scheduled by the League.