Perhaps, from this point until the end of League of Legends, and even revisiting the history of VCS, audiences will never find a scandal that can compare to the one currently weighing on the Spring 2024 tournament. In fact, with the rapid spread of social media today, the VCS scandal has already been circulated and gained significant attention from the international community. However, while this may be the biggest scandal in VCS, it still may not be the largest scandal to ever shake the global League of Legends community.
The VCS Scandal
In reality, the case of VCS differs from others on this list as there has yet to be a final ruling from the tournament organizers or Riot. However, the number of players involved is so large (nearly half of those active in VCS teams) that the VCS incident has spread worldwide within the League of Legends community. This is also the largest scandal ever exposed in the Vietnamese League of Legends scene specifically and among small and wildcard regions in general.
Of course, there is a valid basis to hope that the final number will be lower than that released by the VCS organizers. But it can be said that 32 individuals involved in negative activities are enough to shake the foundation of both League of Legends and Vietnamese Esports. And while the consequences have yet to arrive, they will likely be severe, and the concerning question now is whether Vietnamese League of Legends can recover or not.
28 Players, Coaches, and 2 Teams “Disappeared” from LDL
At this point, League of Legends fans are likely very familiar with the negative issues in Chinese League of Legends, especially in the LDL. As of now, the LDL Spring 2024 has not yet commenced on its regular schedule. The main reason is largely attributed to past scandals that have weighed heavily on the tournament. Most recently, the match-fixing scandal involving two teams, Team Orange and TWELVE, has emerged.
On August 7, 2022, a decision based on competitive laws was applied to Team Orange and TWELVE, resulting in a series of long-term bans for players, managers, and coaches from both teams. A total of 28 individuals received penalties, with the lightest being an 18-month ban and the harshest being a permanent ban. All players, coaches, and managers from Team Orange and TWELVE were permanently banned. This is one of the main reasons why Riot and the LPL organizers decided to indefinitely postpone the LDL.
Ahq Korea and the Fate of Player Promise
Among these, the case of Ahq is perhaps the lightest, but the damage was quite severe as it affected lives. Ahq Korea is “sister” to the famed ahq e-Sports Club from LCK. However, the fate of Ahq.K was somewhat “darker”. All they achieved in LCK Spring 2013 was a mere… 4 points. Notably, Ahq.K became linked to a match-fixing scandal that shook the still nascent League of Legends scene in the Land of the Morning Calm at that time.
Mr. No Dea-chul – the director of Ahq at that time was said to have coerced players into participating in match-fixing to profit from gambling. Some players, after realizing the truth, decided not to follow his orders and were immediately removed from the team. Notably, player Promise posted a letter admitting to the negative behavior but also asserted that it was all at the behest of Mr. No. After this letter, it was discovered that Promise jumped from a high building and was immediately rushed to the hospital. Promise was saved but suffered permanent injuries.
LPL Witnessed 38 Players and Coaches from Both LPL and LDL Penalized for Negativity
In April 2021, a two-month investigation into widespread match-fixing in League of Legends China concluded with over 30 bans and several fines issued. Among those, Bo (FunPlus Phoenix), Teeen, and Bless (ThunderTalk Gaming) were three LPL players included in this ban list.
The investigation began in February 2021, after Bo reported to LPL officials about match-fixing that occurred in 2020 while he was still with eStar Young. The former FPX star stated that he was forced by the coach into this plan. This was also the largest match-fixing scandal, with the longest investigation period and the most players and coaches penalized in LPL history. After this incident, Bo’s career crumbled, and he is currently struggling in the LCS.