Former Black Dragons analyst Thiago Nicézio has accused both FaZe Clan and Black Dragons of match-fixing during season nine of the Rainbow Six Pro League.
In an article published by Siege.gg, the allegations, as well as a wealth of potential evidence, are laid out. Nicézio, who recently departed Black Dragons citing “personal issues,” claims BD player Gleidson “GdNN1” Marcondes Reginato Junior coordinated with FaZe’s Ronaldo “ion” Koji Osawa Filho to throw specific matches to help each other in the R6 Pro League.
The match BD allegedly threw came in week 12 against FaZe, which put FaZe in a more favorable position in the LATAM division and helped propel them toward a spot at the Pro League Milan Finals. In exchange for the week 12 throw, Nicézio claims that FaZe would throw their matchup in the Brasileirão Major next month.
The alleged throw by BD came in the form of players repeatedly disconnecting from the match, forcing a rule of forfeit to go into effect. The final result for the match was 7-0 in FaZe’s favor. But the claim comes into question with the screenshots of several WhatsApp exchanges that seem to indicate players may have actually been experiencing internet connectivity issues.
A Reddit user translated a partially recorded conversation between GdNN1 and Nicézio, in which GdNN1 says in response to Nicézio’s accusations, “It wouldn’t change anything for us and neither for them. So fuck it!”
In another reply to Nicézio, GdNN1 also cited the nature of the LATAM division as the reason for the team’s ‘YOLO’ attitude. “This is the disgusting scene we’re in,” the pro player said about the LATAM division. The article also includes GdNN1’s response to the allegations.
“I actually said that but I mentioned that we played in a yolo way and without any necessary worry about the match, the internet crashed,” GdNN1 said.
Since Nicézio posted the match-fixing allegations on Twitter, GdNN1 has been fined and removed from the BD roster pending a full investigation. There has been no indication whether Ubisoft has begun officially looking into the accusations.
Either way, this type of drama only has negative effects on the esport and its overall integrity. Pro League has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time, match-fixing cheapens the rest of the division’s accomplishments.
FaZe has not commented on the matter, but that will likely change in the very near future. The team made it to the semifinals of the Pro League Milan Finals, so their status in the league will likely come into question in the coming days. The team narrowly edged out Ninjas in Pyjamas for a finals spot, which, if the accusations are true, means the BD match in week 12 secured them a spot in Milan.
