Recently, after many days of waiting, the VCS organizing committee and Riot have finally reached a final verdict on the match-fixing scandal that erupted during the Spring 2024 tournament. This is something that not only VCS fans but anyone interested in the League of Legends scene and Vietnamese Esports has been eagerly awaiting. Vietnamese Esports has been around and developing for a long time, but this negative incident can be considered unprecedented. The number of individuals and teams involved is vast, especially since this is only the second year Riot has officially taken over and relaunched the largest League of Legends tournament in Vietnam.
And living up to the audience’s expectations, apart from the 7 officially cleared players, the rest received numerous punishments, ranging from the lightest (8 months) to the heaviest, a permanent ban (including 5 members of Rainbow Warriors and 3 former members of SBTC Esports). Among them, RW’s coach Raze is the only one from the coaching staff of a team. Additionally, a special figure is Gloryy – a player who once participated in the ASIAD, who was also “tainted” and received a 2-year ban.
And Gloryy is the only player who still claims to be innocent up to this point. This player also stated that he is ready to provide further evidence to clarify his situation. However, given what has happened, the community finds it extremely difficult to sympathize with the Mid Laner from TW.
Meanwhile, alongside the reactions from the audience, individuals related to the names involved in the sanctions have also taken action. Coach Archie (who has previously worked with players like DNK, Penguin, Artifact…) and ADC Artemis have made posts or comments expressing their frustration and irony about being affected by those who have “tainted” their names.
Clearly, the actions of these players represent an unacceptable violation. Not only do they affect their own careers, but they also impact their colleagues, teams, and even the image of the entire tournament. The actions of Riot and the VCS organizing committee are necessary to create a clean, professional environment for League of Legends and Vietnamese Esports.