Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports scene has been hit with a huge match-fixing scandal, as three MDL PH players receive hefty bans.
All images courtesy of MDL Philippines
Although the Mobile Legends Development League might only serve as a platform for young, amateur MLBB players to find their way into the top flight, it is still an integral part of the game’s ecosystem. The talent seen in these young players can often translate into them reaching the Mobile Legends Professional League, especially since many of the same organisations are in both tournaments. Sadly, match-fixing and cheating are often prevalent in many games, and MDL Philippines has been hit by this – with the investigation finding three players guilty.
On April 25, 2024, an official statement from the MDL PH Committee revealed that they were already underway with investigations of alleged match-fixing against a few teams and players. While the tournament ended its Regular Season play on the same date, the committee had a window to gather all evidence and compile their report, which was released yesterday. According to the report, three players from two different teams were found to be guilty of either attempted match-throwing or match-fixing, which is a serious offense when it comes to esports.
The culprits
TNCZ4’s Jungle role player, Jhonjie Paul “Jiee” Dela Rosa was first on their statement, and he found himself guilty of attempting to throw a game. Next up were two players from RSG El Ganador, with both Raven “Aeris” Arellano and Christian “Nyija” John Calantoc both admitting to match-fixing in their series against Smart Omega Neos on April 24, 2024. The committee concluded that the above incidents were all cause for serious punishment and have since handed out their judgment.
All three players have been hit with a massive, but deserved, three-year suspension from MOONTON Games endorsed events. This includes, but is not limited to; MDL PH, MPL PH, and therefore any other tournaments where MOONTON is involved. With such a tightknit MLBB community, it is very likely that these players have now lost any chance of ever making it up into the professional scene, and shows that MOONTON is serious when it comes to keeping the esports ecosystem as fair and professional as possible.
While the two teams affected were found to have not been at fault, the MDL Committee issued a warning to both sides, as the teams agreed to strive harder to weed out such infractions in the future through better management. We can only hope that this will be the end of match-fixing or attempted cheating in the esports world, but unfortunately, it always finds a way back in.
