ESIC Bans Five NOMERCY Players for CS2 Match Manipulation
- Four Counter-Strike 2 matches, all played on one Saturday in Portugal, have now cost five players years away from the game, and in one case, for good.
- ESIC announced on October 15 that it had issued final decisions against the NOMERCY roster that played Roman Imperium Cup VII in Vila Nova de Gaia in March.
- The case is about NOMERCY’s four best-of-one group matches on March 28, 2026.
Four Counter-Strike 2 matches, all played on one Saturday in Portugal, have now cost five players years away from the game, and in one case, for good.
ESIC announced on October 15 that it had issued final decisions against the NOMERCY roster that played Roman Imperium Cup VII in Vila Nova de Gaia in March. The team’s leader, Oliver “kzy” Heck, is banned for life. Two teammates got five years and two got three.
| Player | Ban | Eligible again |
|---|---|---|
| Oliver “kzy” Heck | Lifetime | No end date |
| János “James8k” Fodor | 5 years | April 23, 2031 |
| Petar “perakokanje” Bešir | 5 years | April 23, 2031 |
| Palkovics “2xplayN” Tamás | 3 years | April 23, 2029 |
| Sreten “srtn1” Smiljanić | 3 years | April 23, 2029 |
One bet, four matches
The case is about NOMERCY’s four best-of-one group matches on March 28, 2026. ESIC says betting intelligence picked up “a structured, high-value pre-match combination wager” on all four games together. It backed a −9.5 round handicap in every one: NOMERCY had to lose each map by at least 10 rounds for the bet to pay.
That is exactly what happened. Liquipedia’s results for the event show:
| Time (local) | Opponent | Map | Score | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | BetBoom Team | Overpass | 0–13 | 13 |
| 11:30 | Sangal Esports | Inferno | 3–13 | 10 |
| 12:30 | BESTIA | Dust II | 1–13 | 12 |
| 15:00 | Wildcard | Nuke | 1–13 | 12 |
The Sangal game was the closest. Three rounds won meant a 10-round gap, just clearing the 9.5 line. One more NOMERCY round there and the whole combination would have lost. NOMERCY finished last in Group A.
ESIC says it did not rely on the bet alone. Its evidence included a report from Runestone, the data-monitoring firm that became an ESIC data partner on July 1, along with a full review of the matches, player-by-player analysis, roster information, and whatever messages and financial records players handed over. The gameplay review found repeated failures in “trading, utility use, positioning and decision-making,” but ESIC said no single misplay, transaction or message decided the case.
Why the bans differ
Kzy got the harshest penalty because of what ESIC called his “central leadership and calling role.” He was involved in the map vetoes, was repeatedly involved in the gameplay ESIC flagged, and did not cooperate with the investigation at all.
James8k and perakokanje were also found to have manipulated matches and also refused to cooperate. Their five-year terms reflect that, though ESIC did not find they had kzy’s leadership role.
The two three-year bans came down to cooperation. 2xplayN sent detailed answers, handed over financial and communications records, and kept engaging. ESIC also took his youth and inexperience into account, and it considered his written response of June 15 on its merits. Srtn1’s first answers were “incomplete and inconsistent,” but ESIC still counted them in his favor, along with the fact that he had no leadership role.
Some of the charges, including betting-related ones, were treated as admitted because the players did not submit a written hearing request as ESIC’s rules require. ESIC was careful to say that this is a procedural step, not a confession.
What a ban covers
An ESIC ban does not stop at playing. The five cannot coach, manage, referee, analyse, or help in any capacity at events run, sanctioned or supported by ESIC or its members. They also cannot get media accreditation at those venues. These are sporting sanctions, not criminal charges, and ESIC’s statement does not mention any police case.
The decisions are dated September 17, 2026, but were made public almost a month later.
ESIC’s third final ruling in five weeks
This is the third final sanction decision ESIC has announced since September 10:
- September 10: A lifetime ban for Juan “Vintage” Angulo and five years for Oswaldo “DarkMago” Herrera of the PTime Dota 2 team, after an investigation at the Esports World Cup 2026.
- September 22: Five years for Shammah “ANONYMOUS” Kakande, for deliberately underperforming in an eBasketball match.
- October 15: The five NOMERCY players.
Another investigation is still open. In August, ESIC provisionally suspended Dota 2 player Santiago “TaiLung” Agüero Gustavo over suspected betting-related manipulation of LGD Gaming matches.
NOMERCY’s players had played almost nowhere else at this level. HLTV notes that James8k’s and perakokanje’s only recorded HLTV matches are from this tournament.
