ESL says there’s no “concrete evidence” to prove match-fixing in Black Dragons and FaZe Clan

After a full investigation, ESL has finally issued a competitive ruling finding no evidence of match-fixing in a Black Dragons and FaZe Clan match in April. The ruling comes after a long lull in updates.

Former Black Dragons analyst Thiago “thyy” Nicézio accused FaZe Clan and Black Dragons of match-fixing during season nine of R6 Pro League. Thyy had shared what evidence he had in order to prove certain players’ guilt, but it seems that the evidence he provided wasn’t enough to warrant any major response from the ESL for match-fixing.

“ESL has decided to punish the former (Black Dragons) for unsportsmanlike conduct and providing misleading information,” the ruling says. Two major punishments have been issued to Black Dragons. The team failed to show up on time and deliberately caused connection issues, which are both major offenses.

Both of the major penalties result in one major penalty point each. While two penalty points don’t seem like a big deal, it actually has a pretty large effect on the team’s earnings. Black Dragons will lose out on a massive 20 percent of the team’s season nine winnings, according to the ESL ruling.

The ESL’s ruling also said that there was “no concrete evidence” to prove the match-fixing allegations. Since no solid evidence has been presented, FaZe will go unpunished—leaving Black Dragons to shoulder the blame.

It’s disappointing to see professional players behave this way. Disconnecting a matchup looks terrible and it’s a shame that the organization has to suffer because of its players.

Black Dragons co-founder, Denis “pings” Vidigal previously said that no staff was present in the house the night the team disconnected from the matchup with FaZe. Maybe this issue comes down to players needing to have an eye on them during all matchups.

While these types of things are semi-expected to happen, it’s unfortunate that it had to occur as the R6 esports scene is on an upswing. Players purposefully throwing matches doesn’t help to legitimize the esport or their own personal careers.