An alleged match-fixing scheme is currently under investigation, involving one of China’s premier StarCraft II players in Xue ‘Firefly’ Tao. But despite having no formal and final results on the matter, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has opted to suspend him from participating in any StarCraft II events moving forward.

While it may be temporary and not final, the resulting suspension has unfortunately forced Firefly out of the Chinese roster that will participate in the upcoming Esports World Cup this July 22nd to 25th. Firefly was expected to play at the Boulevard City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but instead will be sitting this one out due to the suspension.

According to multiple sources, timelines for match-fixing last around eight months to lifetime suspensions. ESIC is not new to this case, as they have also handed out several punishments in this year alone. For instance, ATOX Esports had its players receiving such suspensions due to the same case.

Firefly Out, Lancer In

Huang ‘Lancer’ Min was the runner-up in the Asia Qualifier that Firefly eventually won. But with the suspension now in effect, he now takes over the slot of Firefly in the upcoming StarCraft II tournament in the EWC. Initially, Lancer opted to join an 18-player lineup that would hopefully compete for a Global Qualifier with a shot at a $700,000 prize pool.

With the changes, Taiwanese player Lemon will now take over his spot in that 18-man campaign – which takes place from June 21st to 22nd. A total of four players will be given a chance to earn its place in the biggest stage of the game.

The timing of Firefly’s suspension was so unfortunate. According to reports, mainly stemming from a forum post by former player Cao ‘Jim’ Jinhui, Firefly was involved in a match-fixing scheme since 2023. While there is no confirmation about how long it has continued to be that way, the ESIC saw no saving grace to keep them from suspending the Chinese player.

“Following a preliminary investigation by the Esports Integrity Commission, ESIC has advised all tournament operators that StarCraft II competitor Xue ‘Firefly’ Tao has been provisionally suspended from competition pending finalisation of the investigation,” stated the Esports World Cup in its social media post.

Jim and Firefly Fell Out

Apparently, Jim recently claimed that Firefly owed him a lot of money, and the latter refused to reimburse the former player. This definitely left Jim with no choice but to further release alleged evidence about Firefly’s involvement in match-fixing and reporting his former partner in the said scheme.

ESIC did not waste time on the report. After all, Jim is no longer an active player, which means that Firefly was the only one who needed to answer to the esports laws. While details of the breaches were not disclosed by ESIC, the immediate suspension was said to be irrevocable and took effect right away.

“Due to the volume and quality of evidence ESIC has received, ESIC has issued Firefly with a provisional suspension pending the conclusion of its investigation into breaches of the ESIC Integrity Programme,” said the commission.

A well-known Protoss player, Firefly has just lost his massive chance to prove his worth on the biggest stage of the game with the provisional suspension handed by the ESIC. It is worth noting that he last played for OFFSYDE Esports before he eventually moved on from the team last year.