DEVELOPING STORY: MDL PH teams sanction players as match-fixing investigations are underway

Three MDL Philippines teams have come forward pledging cooperation with league authorities and sanctioning players as allegations of match fixing in the country’s academy league for MLBB is being unraveled.

 

El Ganador Esports, a partner team of RSG Philippines for MDL Philippines, had terminated the contracts of two players they found guilty of match fixing: Raven “Aeris” Arellano and Christian John “Nyija” Calantoc.

“Allegations of match-fixing are taken seriously, and we vehemently contest any implication of involvement. Our team upholds the integrity of esports and conducts its affairs with transparency and accountability,” El Ganador said in its statement.

Screenshots of the players allegedly transacting in match-fixing operations made the rounds on social media, but Fragster cannot independently verify the authenticity of these screenshots. 

The main RSG Philippines team also confirmed that the player contracts of both Aeris and Nyija will be terminated and that the two will be reported to authorities.

 

Meanwhile, TNCZ4, the developmental team of TNC Pro Team, released an announcement Thursday evening suspending one of their players, “Jiee” from all team activities. This was after TNCZ4 officials determined that “certain behaviors” Jiee did were “not aligned with the standards” the organization upholds.

“We believe that this suspension is necessary to uphold the integrity of our organization and the broader gaming community,” Z4 Esports co-founder JC “King Cosmos” Garcia said in the signed statement.

King Cosmos added, “During this period, Jiee will remain on forced rest as we continue our internal review and collaboration with MDL Philippines officials. We are committed to keeping the community informed of any updates regarding the situation and the progress of the investigation.”

King Cosmos also called for a league-wide investigation of match-fixing activities, saying,  “in addition to our internal actions and collaboration with MDL Philippines, we are formally requesting a league-wide investigation into related matters. We believe that a comprehensive examination across all MDL teams is necessary to address any systemic issues and uphold the fairness and integrity of the league as a whole.”

Meanwhile, the main TNC Pro Team said, “every member of our team is held to the highest standards of integrity, and we will take decisive action against any individual found to have engaged in such misconduct. Rest assured, appropriate actions will be taken to uphold the integrity of our team and the competitive gaming community.”

 

 

TNC Z4’s opponent in yesterday’s MDL PH S3 match, ONIC Arsenals, have also submitted their report to authorities.

“At exactly 6:38 PM today, April 25, 2024, ONIC Philippines Management sent its Official Incident Report to the League Operations of MLBB Developmental League to establish our cooperation regarding their investigation of the said Game Fixing involving our MDL Team ONIC Arsenals.”

ONIC PH also said they are not in any way connected, or are participating in, an esports betting sites. “We are purely an esports organization with no ties nor relationship individually or as a team to any betting sites nor participate in any. It is our mandate to ensure that the people within the organization understand what ONIC stands for and it is to adhere to the highest standards of integrity,” ONIC PH said.

The organization also said it will rely on the MDL Philippines league operations officers and wait for its final report before making any conclusions.

This wave of player sanctions and investigations follow AP Bren head coach Francis “Ducky” Glindro’s revelation of a student being named as allegedly taking part in match-fixing activities in the MDL.

The student, identified as Jigen Paul “Jigs” Masangkay, allegedly offered US$1,730, or more or less PHP100,000, to an unknown player to throw three games and dictate the game result.

Jigs had been removed from his collegiate organization, the Teletigers Esports Club, following the incident.

MDL Philippines investigations are also underway.