Following multiple cases of match-fixing allegations in the LDL over the years, the development league of the Chinese LPL was suspended indefinitely.
The suspension could possibly be related to the most recent case of match-fixing that came to light, when Zhou “Bo” Yang-Bo, the jungle of FunPlus Phoenix, admitted to – according to him – being coerced into match-fixing. Some fans speculate COVID might play a role as well. Aside from posting a small announcement of the decision on Twitter, the LPL has not released a full statement on the situation as of yet.
Official Announcement:
The League of Legends Development League (LDL) is suspending matches until further notice, starting on March 17th, 2021. pic.twitter.com/sSXxsMBXuf
— LPL (@lplenglish) March 16, 2021
As the Chinese competition has struggled with cases of match-fixing in the past, such as with Xiang “Condi” Ren-Jie of LGD Gaming and Wang “WeiYan” Xiang of Rogue Warriors, the competition has lost quite a bit of credibility among fans. Chances are the LPL is looking into the allegations and wants to prevent any further form of abuse when it comes to match-fixing. The LDL is a highly competitive environment with a lot of promising players looking to make it big. Their comparatively lower wages to those in the LPL may tempt some to choose the road of match-fixing.
It’s currently unclear when the LDL will start up again, as the LPL announced it’ll be suspended starting March 17. We’ll most likely get more communication from the LPL once they’ve investigated the match-fixing problem further.
Also read:
- TSM issues apology after inappropriate tweet
- FPX Jungler Bo reports himself to officials after being coerced into match-fixing
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Image credit: LPL / LDL