LCO Match-Fixing scandal leads to bans for two players

In a situation all too common for the League of Legends Oceanic region, news broke this Thursday as the conclusion of an official investigation led to the suspension of two professional players who competed during the first half of 2024. Although both had already received provisional suspensions in February and May respectively, Riot Games has now issued their final decision, resulting in 3-year suspensions for both players.

Coming in as the more blatant of the two players, former LPL trainee and Chinese support Wu "Chenxuan" Zheng-Hang was the first to come into the spotlight in this affair. First called out by Challenger midlaner Detention on Twitter as early as September 2023, the player was already accused of win trading in solo queue and toxicity. Fast forward to January, he was picked up by Dire Wolves, one of the oldest organizations in the Oceanic region. Only about two weeks into the season, he was immediately called out for very dubious behavior in official matches, leading to his provisional suspension on February 9th.

As detailed in the official competitive ruling released by Riot Games on Thursday, Chenxuan was quickly found guilty of the allegations, as proven through the use of partnered tools provided by tech company Sportradar. In the official statement, Riot Games also clarified that the player specifically involved himself in match-fixing specific aspects of matches, such as First Bloods. Having now concluded their investigation, the company has decided to impose a 3-year suspension on the player, starting retroactively from the date of his provisional suspension and lasting until February 9, 2027.

Although fellow Chinese player Xue "River" Jia-Hao was not proven to have taken part in match-fixing like his support counterpart, the rookie has faced similar consequences to his former teammate today. Having received his provisional suspension on May 17th, the player has now been judged complicit in the incident due to his refusal to testify and assist with ongoing investigations.

While less is known about the player's situation compared to Chenxuan's, Riot Games revealed in their ruling that the toplaner had been contacted as early as February 19th, after which he received continuous reminders until March 26th. In the official ruling, the LCO concluded that River was deliberately attempting to delay the investigation and was in serious breach of their regulations. Consequently, River was handed the same sanction of a 3-year suspension, starting retroactively from the date of his provisional suspension and lasting until May 17, 2027.

While only two players were suspended following the investigation, three more individuals were directly mentioned in the competitive ruling. As detailed by Riot Games, Craig Nimmo, the team's general manager, and Jason Spiller, one of the organization’s owners, received warnings for their lack of oversight, which enabled match-fixing opportunities.

In addition to these two members, the ruling also highlighted the involvement of an unnamed third party who allegedly participated in team management without being officially part of the organization. This individual, referred to as "Individual A," was said to have impersonated the team's coach Brian "Guapi" Yu and has now been reported to the relevant authorities by Riot Games.