Riot clears two LoL pros of match fixing allegations due to insufficient evidence

Declan Mclaughlin
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Two League of Legends players were suspected of match fixing following a match in the Ultraliga, but Riot Games has cleared them after an investigation.

Two players were suspected of match fixing, or win trading as the community saw it, in a match in one of the European Regional Leagues. The Ultraliga competition between Iron Wolves and Team ESCA featured two players who, according to clips posted to Reddit, were not trying to win that match.

The match ended with Iron Wolves walking away with a win, however, the team’s mid laner and jungle exhibited some odd behavior like fighting without abilities and not taking objectives.

The league announced shortly after the match that it would look into competitive integrity violations in the match along with Riot Games. Iron Wolves later released a statement calling what the players did “unprofessional.”

League players cleared of wrongdoing

The two players, Wen ‘kylin’ Zheng and Shuai ‘0din’ Wang, were cleared of the allegations on January 31 by Riot Games in a statement issued by the Polish league.

“The investigation… did not result in sufficient evidence that would justify further disciplinary proceedings,” the statement said in part.

The players were suspended for two matches following the allegations, and Iron Wolves signed two substitutes in their place.

The two Chinese players should be able to compete again in the team’s next match on February 6, should Iron Wolves want them back on the rift. League fans, on the other hand, are not convinced of their innocence.

“It’s the most blatant fixed match ever, anyone with eyes that has ever played League can see that,” one social media user said.

The incident is just one in a long line of match fixing scandals in the lower-tier leagues for the esport. Riot has suspended multiple people worldwide in the past few years for throwing matches.

About The Author

Based in Indiana, Declan McLaughlin is an esports reporter for Dexerto Esports covering Valorant, LoL and anything else that pops up. Previously an editor and reporter at Upcomer, Declan is often found reading investigative stories or trying to do investigations himself. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Indiana University. You can contact him at declan.mclaughlin@dexerto.com.