The ESEA announced that five players are suspended due to an investigation into match-fixing by ESIC – , the organization that enforces fair play rules in eSports. Three former Rebirth players and two OCG members have been charged.
This decision was taken after Dust2.us published an audio recording, allegedly made in October 2020, in which several cybersports players explicitly discuss plans to organize contract matches in the ESEA MDL. Three players who were playing for Rebirth at the time mention that they reached an agreement with players from the Russian Canadians team that the opposing captain would broadcast their radar image to them. The matches in question were eventually postponed or canceled after the players learned of the possible existence of the compromising tape.
The players' disqualification will be in effect for the duration of the current ESEA Premier season. ChockoCheck, for which two of the offenders are currently playing, has enough members to provide replacements. OGG, on the other hand, will most likely have to drop out of the competition, as they currently have no substitutes.