Rumors: A Top-30 VRS Ranked Team Under ESIC Investigation
It has become known that the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) is conducting a new investigation. A team ranked in the top 30 of the VRS ranking is suspected of participating in match-fixing. This information was shared by Hu "Searph" Yunqing on his social media page on Bilibili.
"A team ranked in the top 30 according to VRS is under investigation by ESIC on suspicion of match-fixing at the EPL 2024. ESIC stated that the investigation could last several weeks, and the organizer of the next competition said they are aware of the ongoing investigation and are ready to plan the team's disqualification." -translated from Chinese
In the CS2 community, discussions have begun about which team is being referred to. Searph did not specify at which tournament the violation occurred. The abbreviation EPL could refer to either the European Pro League or the ESL Pro League — a tier-1 level event.
If it concerns the European Pro League 2024, only two teams in the top 30 of the VRS ranking fit this description — Passion UA (participant of EPL Season 20) and BC.Game (participant of EPL Season 21).
If it concerns the ESL Pro League, the circle of suspects expands significantly. Among the teams that have participated in this series of tournaments and are in the top 30 of the VRS ranking are Vitality , Complexity, Eternal Fire , FaZe, Natus Vincere , Virtus.pro , Astralis , BIG , SAW , FURIA Esports , MIBR , Wildcard, G2, Liquid, Heroic , FlyQuest, GamerLegion , The MongolZ , Imperial , BetBoom, 3DMAX , Mouz .
The ESIC investigation could lead to serious consequences for the professional scene, including possible disqualifications and sanctions. Official comments from ESIC are expected in the coming weeks.
