ESIC hands gokushima two year ban for match-fixing
ESIC has slapped Erkhan "gokushima" Bagynanov with a ban from all ESIC partnered events for match-fixing, lasting until March 26th, 2026. He was handed the ban on March 27th, just days before FORZE dropped their whole lineup on the first of April. He continued to play with the team until the day his ban was instated.
Since his ban, the team has continued to play at Skyesports Masters 2024 and ESL Challenger league Season 47 Europe without gokushima, with stand-ins taking his place.
According to CIS insider and Team Spirit scout Alexey "OverDrive" Birukov, gokushima fixed "up to eighty matches" in his opinion, with a payout of "definitely over $100,000, if not $300,000 or $400,000". Furthermore, OverDrive believes that more match-fixers will be banned as more information is given to ESIC.
gokushima's ban continues a trend of rising ESIC activity, including a temporary ban for current TSM player Joel "joel" Holmlund, lifetime ban for former MAJESTY and Project X owner Alexey Shyshko, as well as a ban for former Akuma player Dmytro “SENSEi” Shvorak, among others.
