In the professional League of Legends scene, the issue of match-fixing has been around for a long time and has become all too familiar. Not only in smaller regions but also in high-level environments like the LPL, cases like this have appeared frequently, to the point where the LDL tournament for youth teams is currently “frozen” indefinitely. However, for smaller regions, stories of match-fixing and corruption leave a much heavier impact, specifically at VCS.
During the VCS Summer 2023, the event where SBTC Esports was punished for negative behavior caused quite a stir among fans. The incident involving SE drew attention because this team is one of the most famous names in the Vietnamese LoL scene. Additionally, the investigation process by the VCS organizers lasted from the early stage of the season until the preliminary list for the Asian Games in Hangzhou was finalized. However, recently, another rumor has surfaced, causing the VCS community to erupt in debates and suspicions: a player named S*** is being investigated by Riot for negative behavior.
Immediately, despite the rumor not being verified by any reliable sources, it drew the VCS community into endless debates with a slew of names being mentioned. Among them, a notorious former player of GAM Esports, Spot, was brought into question. In fact, during his past drama, the troubles Spot caused mostly stemmed from his unprofessional attitude and toxicity, leading teammates to sabotage the team. There have been no records of Spot being involved in match-fixing or any score manipulation.
However, after a series of certain blunders in multiple consecutive matches, the Rainbow Warriors naturally became targets for criticism from many VCS fans. But on the evening of February 2, right after the match against Team Secret, RW released an official statement confirming that Spot was not involved in any negative behavior as rumored. This is also the first team in the VCS this season to speak out following the emergence of such negative rumors.
Currently, apart from the unverified rumors and the speculations of VCS fans, there has been no additional information. The VCS community also needs to have a multi-dimensional, objective view to avoid affecting unrelated teams or players, especially when the season has just begun.