News · Esports
ESIC bans NOMERCY's kzy for life, sanctions four teammates
ESIC banned NOMERCY's kzy for life and four other players for three to five years over match manipulation at Roman Imperium Cup VII.
Key facts
- Whofive Team NO MERCY players
- Changeone lifetime ban, two five-year bans, two three-year bans
- Whendecisions dated from Sept. 17, 2026
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has issued final disciplinary decisions against five players from Team NO MERCY (NOMERCY) after an investigation into match manipulation at Roman Imperium Cup VII. Oliver “kzy” Heck received lifetime ineligibility.
All five decisions are dated from Sept. 17, 2026. They replace the provisional suspensions the players received on April 23, 2026.
The sanctions
- Oliver “kzy” Hecklifetime, no fixed expiry
- János “James8k” Fodorfive years, credited expiry April 23, 2031
- Petar “perakokanje” Beširfive years, credited expiry April 23, 2031
- Palkovics “2xplayN” Tamásthree years, credited expiry April 23, 2029; superseded by a lifetime ban on Oct. 16, 2026
- Sreten “srtn1” Smiljanićthree years, credited expiry April 23, 2029
ESIC gives each player credit for the provisional suspension served since April 23, 2026, which produces the fixed dates. Re-eligibility after a fixed term remains subject to Article 6.7 of the ESIC Anti-Corruption Code.
What ESIC found
The investigation covered four best-of-one matches NOMERCY played on March 28, 2026, against BetBoom Team, Sangal Esports, BESTIA and Wildcard. ESIC said betting intelligence identified a structured, high-value pre-match combination wager targeting a -9.5 round handicap across all four matches, and each result matched the targeted outcome.
ESIC also cited a full-match gameplay review that found repeated failures in trading, utility use, positioning and decision-making. It said no isolated gameplay error, transaction or communication was treated as determinative.
How ESIC set the sanctions
For kzy, ESIC named his central leadership and calling role, his involvement in veto decisions, repeated gameplay involvement and complete non-cooperation as material to the lifetime sanction. James8k and perakokanje were found to have breached the corruption and cooperation articles, with complete non-cooperation cited, but neither was established to have kzy’s leadership culpability.
2xplayN’s original sentence gives substantial mitigating weight to his detailed responses, his production of financial and communications material, his youth and his relative lack of experience. ESIC credited initial interrogatory answers from srtn1, which it called incomplete and inconsistent.
The bet reported in March
RTP Arena reported on March 28 that social media posts pointed to a possible match-fixing case. According to the Portuguese outlet, betting-site receipts showed an alleged $57,000 wager on a combination of NOMERCY’s four matches, with a return above $4.5 million. RTP Arena later reported, citing a social media post confirmed by the tournament organizer, that the bookmaker voided the bet.
Scope of the bans
Under Article 6.5, the players may not play, coach, manage or take part in any capacity in matches or events authorized, organized or supported by ESIC or an ESIC member. They also cannot receive accreditation for media or other services at official venues. Authorized anti-corruption education or rehabilitation is excepted, and any early return to team training requires permission under Article 6.8.
Update: lifetime ban for 2xplayN
On Oct. 16, ESIC imposed lifetime ineligibility on 2xplayN following further integrity breaches. “The lifetime sanction supersedes the prospective effect of the earlier three-year exclusion,” the commission wrote.
Why it matters
The five players are barred from playing, coaching and other involvement in matches and events run or backed by ESIC or its members. The bans on kzy and, since Oct. 16, 2xplayN have no end date, while the other three expire in 2029 or 2031.