Due to a suspension imposed by ESIC for match-fixing accusations, StarCraft II player Xue “Firefly” Tao will not participate in the Esports World Cup 2025.
Xue “Firefly” Tao is currently under suspension by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC), due to suspicions of match-manipulation. Consequently, he won’t be able to participate in the StarCraft II competition at the Esports World Cup 2025.
Firefly to miss EWC 2025
Based on the substantial and credible evidence received, the Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) has initiated an examination focusing on Firefly and suspicions about integrity issues. This means that Firefly, Xue ‘Firefly’ Tao, has been temporarily suspended until the investigation is completed. The suspension was officially announced through a Notice of Charge which was sent to Firefly, offering them an opportunity to respond within a specified timeframe.
In simpler terms,
The Electronic Sports and Gaming Network (EWC) has announced that the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has instructed all tournament operators to suspend Firefly in the StarCraft II competition. The EWC clarified that Firefly is no longer participating in the StarCraft II event. Lancer, who was the runner-up in the EWC SC2 Asia Qualifier, will now take Firefly’s place. Meanwhile, Lemon will fill Lancer’s spot in the EWC Global Qualifier.
Firefly’s alleged match-fixing
In a since-removed post, Firefly’s previous colleague from the SSLT, Cao “Jim” Jinhui, admitted to his withdrawal from StarCraft II competitions and confessed to having manipulated matches himself in the past.
Last year, Jim outlined his collaboration with Firefly in manipulating games, and he admitted to having unmasked Firefly for match-fixing activities back in October 2024. Consequently, Firefly’s squad, OFFSYDE, decided to remove him from their team due to these revelations.
Additionally, the post included images showing the transaction record. Jim asserted that he was always the one transferring Firefly funds, and not vice versa.
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2025-06-16 20:10