Australian esports org drops CS:GO team over match-fixing allegations

Just a couple of weeks after announcing its recruitment of the former Skyred Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team, Australian esports organization 24/7 Esports has cut ties with the group over allegations that its players were involved in match-fixing.

Somewhat surprisingly, the move has seemingly been made without any actual proof of match-fixing, and Yong has said he doesn't actually believe any wrongdoing took place. “But when there is overwhelming public opinion to the opposite there is no choice but to cease all negotiations,” the statement says. “The organization wishes the team good luck in their future endeavors and with their quest to make the majors.”

The decision to halt contract negotiations over unproved allegations may have been driven by the recent permabanning of 21 CS:GO players who were caught up in a match-fixing scandal in early 2015. Valve initially announced that those suspensions were “indefinite” and would be reviewed at the start of 2016, but instead of lifting them it dropped the hammer on all involved with permanent bans. In light of that unequivocal stance, 24/7 Esports may well have decided that distancing itself from even the appearance of impropriety was the only move it had.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.