ESIC bans SENZA players

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced the conclusion of its investigation into the former SENZA/-72c roster and associated parties regarding matches played in CCT Season 3 Europe Series 3 in June 2025.

Players, coaches, and staff were provisionally suspended in October 2025 while ESIC investigated alleged breaches of its code of conduct, including potential misuse of insider information, betting-related violations, and suspicious account activity.

As a result, Kirsan "byek" Ivanov has received a two-year ban after the investigation found that he engaged in account sharing with third parties and identity-related fraud.

ESIC found that the account used under the identity "byek" was not consistently controlled by a single individual, with evidence including unexplained performance and connectivity irregularities indicative of possible mid-series account hand-offs.

"This indicates that another individual may have played using the account during matches, misrepresenting the identity of the competing player. This finding was corroborated by an express admission provided in writing by the team ownership.

ESIC also identified integrity concerns in matches involving -72c against HEROIC Academy and CPH Wolves. The commission issued formal information requests, but stated that most parties failed to respond or provide the required materials, with the exception of limited information related to byek.

Due to a lack of cooperation, several players have been handed one-year bans:

Petr "⁠timeagento⁠" Markheev
Spiridon "⁠spira⁠" Popov
Vladislav "⁠melanta⁠" Lazarev
Stepan "⁠borosto⁠" Antonov
Aleksandr "⁠1nhuman⁠" Reshetnikov

For timeagento, this sanction comes in addition to a previous five-year ban issued last week in a separate case involving cheating and/or match manipulation. His overall suspension began on March 20, 2025 and will run until March 2031.

SENZA has also been fined $20,000 for failing to cooperate with the investigation. According to ESIC, the organization did not provide adequate responses to official requests, failed to submit requested materials, and did not retain or disclose relevant evidence, including information on player identities, devices, communications, and the results of its internal investigation.

The fine must be paid in full as a donation to a charity chosen by SENZA and approved by ESIC. Until proof of payment is provided and accepted, the organization will not be eligible to participate in events held by ESIC member partners.

Origin: x.com