Riot Games has publicly addressed recent allegations involving competitive misconduct within the North American tier-two scene of VALORANT. Leo Faria, who oversees global operations for VALORANT Esports, responded to the accusations, which have caused growing concern across the community.
The controversy emerged shortly after a video surfaced titled The Dark Side of Competitive VALORANT, which pointed fingers at various figures allegedly involved in match manipulation and dishonest play.
Riot Partners With Integrity Watchdogs for Full Inquiry
Faria explained that the organization has taken these claims very seriously since their emergence in early May. In response, Riot has collaborated with several external partners known for maintaining sports integrity—namely IBIA, Sportradar, GRID, and others—to launch a detailed and systematic investigation.
While no conclusive evidence has been discovered yet, Riot emphasized that its internal team at the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) is thoroughly verifying each aspect of the claims.
He also stressed the importance of whistleblowers in exposing potential corruption but made it clear that only investigations based on verifiable facts would result in concrete actions.
Additionally, Riot Games issued a call to action, urging anyone with information to report it directly to league officials or Riot’s support channels. They reinforced the importance of disengaging immediately from any unethical activity and following their Code of Conduct.
Video Accusations Highlight Alleged Match Tampering Scheme
The video by Shopify Rebellion General Manager Sean Gares centers around a user known as ‘bray’, who is accused of enticing players within the Challengers circuit to deliberately lose matches for financial gain. According to Gares, bray was allegedly linked to cryptocurrency groups operated by a figure named Cooker.
Both individuals denied the accusations. Bray responded by stating he had no involvement in the matter and asked people to cease spreading claims about him. Cooker similarly denied any connection to unethical conduct, asserting he was not engaged in match-fixing.
The video further alleged that Adam ‘Fair’ Elharoun and Bob ‘Bob’ Tran—both linked to Blue Otter at the time—were involved in throwing matches. One match in question was against Burger Boys, and another involved supposed cheating in a game versus Shopify Rebellion.
Gares also mentioned that two more teams were suspected of involvement, although he declined to name them to protect certain individuals.
FlyQuest RED Suspends Player Amid Investigation
In the wake of these accusations, FlyQuest RED opted to temporarily bench Bob until their own internal review reaches a conclusion.
The team released a statement confirming their awareness of the allegations tied to potential match-fixing and competitive violations. A substitute will be used while the investigation remains active.
However, this action has sparked criticism within the community. Fans questioned the organization’s consistency, referencing FlyQuest’s decision not to bench Cooper ‘coopertastic’—a player for the Marvel Rivals roster—after previous incidents involving offensive remarks related to gender identity and sexism.