LPL Continues to Uncover Match-Fixing Scandals in LDL
For a long time, the LDL (League of Legends Development League) has been perceived as the breeding ground for talent for main teams in the LPL (League of Legends Pro League), much like the Challengers League in the LCK (League of Legends Champions Korea). However, this tournament has recently been plagued by match-fixing scandals. In fact, the LPL organizers and Riot Games have decided to indefinitely suspend the tournament due to the overwhelming number of match-fixing incidents.
Recently, during an investigation process, the LPL has continued to discover significant issues within this tournament. Accordingly, 6 players and 1 coach in the LDL have been banned from participating in all Riot Games tournaments due to behaviors such as: negatively impacting the fairness of matches, betting on their own games, and disclosing confidential information during the investigation.
Additionally, 3 other players have been banned from participating in matches for 1 year and 3 years respectively. If we consider this as part of the ongoing situation, just within the last half of this year, there have been 10 individuals in the LDL punished for their involvement in match-fixing. Among the 3 players mentioned, TheNiu has recently been promoted to the main roster of FunPlus Phoenix during the last Summer Split.
LPL Faces a Deep Crisis
In reality, to develop a region, it is essential to have a strong talent pipeline, continuously trained and competing at a high level. However, the current situation of the LPL is quite concerning: it only features a few star players from top teams, while the LDL (the league for lower-tier teams) is mired in match-fixing scandals.
However, these cases primarily involve individuals or groups who are discovered and punished. The teams participating in the LDL are also suffering from a lack of talent. The environment does not foster development, and while the overall quality remains low, the reputation is severely damaged. The LDL continues to be a training ground for new talent, but the scandals have changed that.
Moreover, the regulation banning players under 18 years from competing professionally also negatively impacts the development of the region. Additionally, recently, both LPL and Riot have not enforced teams to maintain a roster. Immediately, many teams have disbanded their rosters currently competing in the LDL to cut costs.
Players currently competing in the LPL may soon have to rethink their careers. However, given the current circumstances, the future of the LPL region looks very bleak.
