ESIC 对五名 NOMERCY 前选手假赛行为作出禁赛处罚

The Esports Integrity Commission has issued major sanctions against five former NOMERCY players following an investigation into match manipulation at Roman Imperium Cup VII.

The punishments range from three years to a lifetime ban, with former MOUZ and ALTERNATE aTTaX player Oliver “kzy” Heck receiving the most severe sanction.

ESIC’s investigation focused on four group-stage matches played by NOMERCY on March 28, 2026, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.

kzy Receives Lifetime Ban

kzy has been permanently banned from ESIC-sanctioned competition.

According to the findings reported by HLTV, ESIC cited several factors when deciding his punishment, including his leadership and calling role, involvement in veto decisions, repeated involvement in the reviewed gameplay and what the commission described as complete non-cooperation with the investigation.

The other four players received fixed-term bans:

• János “James8k” Fodor — banned until April 23, 2031
• Petar “perakokanje” Bešir — banned until April 23, 2031
• Palkovics “playN” Tamás — banned until April 23, 2029
• Sreten “srtn1” Smiljanić — banned until April 23, 2029

The time already served under their provisional suspensions has been credited toward the final sanctions.

Investigation Focused on Four Matches

The case revolves around NOMERCY’s appearance at Roman Imperium Cup VII in March.

ESIC examined four best-of-one group-stage matches played on March 28.

NOMERCY lost all four by extremely wide margins.

Those results alone did not determine the outcome of the investigation.

ESIC stated that it assessed a broader collection of evidence rather than treating individual mistakes or unusual plays as proof on their own.

Betting Intelligence Played Major Role

The investigation included betting intelligence connected with the four matches.

ESIC had already revealed when issuing the provisional suspensions in April that it was examining suspicious and abnormal betting patterns, including high-value wagers linked to match results and round margins.

Its investigation subsequently incorporated several forms of evidence.

These included:

• Betting information connected with the matches
• Full-match gameplay reviews and player-specific analysis
• Communications and financial material
• Responses provided by the participants during the investigation

ESIC also examined gameplay situations involving trading, utility usage, positioning and decision-making.

The commission stressed that no single gameplay error, transaction or communication was treated as conclusive evidence on its own.

Instead, the sanctions were based on the combined evidence gathered during the investigation.

Five-Year Bans for James8k and perakokanje

James8k and perakokanje received five-year sanctions.

Both players have very limited recorded competitive histories on HLTV, with their NOMERCY appearances at Roman Imperium Cup VII making up the matches listed on their profiles.

Their bans run until April 23, 2031.

HLTV reports that ESIC also considered failures to cooperate when determining the severity of their sanctions.

playN and srtn1 Receive Three-Year Sanctions

playN and srtn1 received the shortest bans of the five players, although both sanctions still run for three years.

Their bans expire on April 23, 2029.

ESIC considered mitigating circumstances in these cases.

For playN, those factors reportedly included detailed responses, the production of financial and communication records, continued engagement with the investigation, his age and relative lack of experience.

srtn1 also provided responses to investigators, although ESIC described some of the information as incomplete or inconsistent.

NOMERCY Were Suspended in April

The final decision follows almost six months after ESIC first announced an interim suspension.

On April 23, the integrity commission provisionally suspended NOMERCY and all five players while the investigation remained active.

At that point, ESIC emphasized that the suspension was a protective measure and did not represent a final determination of guilt.

The organization requested communications, financial records and additional material from the participants before reaching its final conclusions.

The completed investigation has now converted those provisional measures into long-term sanctions.

Roman Imperium Cup VII Under Scrutiny

Roman Imperium Cup VII took place from March 28 to March 30 with a €10,000 prize pool.

NOMERCY’s results attracted attention because of both the one-sided scores and unusual betting activity surrounding the matches.

The four losses investigated by ESIC came against BETBOOM, Sangal, BESTIA and Wildcard.

The case therefore became an integrity issue extending beyond the results themselves.

For tournament organizers, betting platforms and teams, match manipulation remains one of the most serious threats to competitive credibility.

Assessment

The NOMERCY case represents one of the more severe Counter-Strike integrity decisions of 2026.

A lifetime ban for kzy stands out, particularly because of his long competitive history dating back to Counter-Strike 1.6 and his previous appearances for organizations including MOUZ and ALTERNATE aTTaX.

The other four sanctions are also substantial, ranging from three to five years.

Most importantly, ESIC’s decision was not presented as being based purely on suspicious scorelines.

The commission examined betting intelligence, gameplay, communications, financial material and participant cooperation before issuing different sanctions according to each player’s circumstances.

For the five former NOMERCY players, the provisional suspensions imposed in April have now become final penalties with potentially career-ending consequences.

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