The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has issued a lifetime ban for StarCraft 2 player Xue “Firefly” Tao after an investigation into match-fixing allegations.
The investigation, which took place from April 2024 to July 2024, found evidence that Firefly was fixing matches by losing consistently and with margins that aligned with bets placed by Jinhui “Jim” Cao.
This took place over seven tournaments, which also resulted in “large” Alipay transfers from Jim to Jirefly directly after the matches.
Additionally, there was a WeChat conversation on August 21, 2024, where the two in question discussed prior payments and trying to hide them.
The investigation led the ESIC to believe that Firefly has 21 offenses against the ESIC Integrity Program. These actions directly break the Code of Conduct and the Anti-Corruption Code set by the ESIC. Now, the player is banned for life from any ESIC member events and competitions.
Jim is temporarily suspended while the ESIC continues addressing the problem. He’s been given a Notice of Charge and has until July 14, 2025, to respond to the allegations. If he doesn’t respond before then, the ESIC will issue a formal sanction.
The results of the investigation have been published, and fans can check out the full report here.
This has a direct impact on StarCraft 2 esports, as Firefly was originally set to participate in the Esports World Cup later this month. Professional player Lancer, who was the runner-up in the Asia Qualifiers, will take his place, while pro player Lemon will take Lancer’s place at the Global Qualifiers.
