FlyQuest RED benches Bob following Sean Gares matchfixing allegations

Update May 26: Blue Otter has released a more in-depth response, stating that they were preparing a video to address Sean Gares’ claims against the team. They said the allegations had caused “irreparable damage to [their] players’ reputations and careers,” extending into their personal lives, causing growing distrust from the community and strained relationships with close friends. The team concluded the statement by denying all accusations of cheating and match-fixing involving their players.

(Original article below)

Multiple rumors and allegations have been swirling around the competitive VALORANT community, suggesting the existence of a potential match-fixing ring that may have compromised the integrity of the tier-two scene.

Former pro player and current Shopify Rebellion Gold general manager Sean "seangares" Gares recently released a video alleging that multiple players have been involved in match-fixing schemes for substantial payouts—among them, FlyQuest RED’s Bob "Bob" Tran. In response, the organization has benched Bob indefinitely pending the outcome of its internal investigation.

Who is Bob?

Bob has been a part of the VALORANT scene since 2020 and is best known for their time with Cloud9 White, particularly during the team’s run at the 2022 VALORANT Game Changers Championship. The squad finished fourth at the event, a peak Bob has yet to replicate in their career since.

Bob’s other team, Blue otter, also released a statement on social media, expressing their intention to support both Bob and Adam "Fair" Elharoun—the other player accused of match-fixing—until more concrete evidence emerges. They added that they would respect any ruling made by Riot Games.

The organization explained that such serious allegations can have lasting consequences on a player's career, particularly if the accusations prove to be unfounded. As such, Blue Otter believes that Sean Gares’ video was premature in publicly calling out players before sufficient evidence had been presented.

“We applaud Sean for trying to make the scene a better place by trying to bring problematic players into the light,” Blue Otter said in their response. “But we believe he missed the mark on this one.”

Some of the VALORANT community has shown skepticism towards Sean’s video, arguing that beyond the initial screenshots of conversations involving a supposed match-fixing ringleader and players Teague "TEAGUE" Morgan and practo, the rest of the evidence lacks substance—relying largely on subjective VOD reviews of poor in-game decisions, which many felt were far from conclusive.

Allegations against Bob

Both Bob and Fair were heavily scrutinized in Sean Gares’ video, which presented several matches as evidence of alleged match-fixing. Gares pointed to multiple instances where the two made uncharacteristically poor plays—mistakes so egregious that, in his view, they didn’t align with the skill level expected of seasoned tier-two competitors. He suggested the only plausible explanation was that these players were intentionally throwing rounds in service of the fix.

Sean also accused several other teams of match-fixing, including SaD Esports, Burger Boyz, and Prosperity Esports. Notably, Burger Boyz and Prosperity were identified in screenshot conversations between Practo and the alleged ringleader as teams that had already fully fixed matches. He also pointed to a match between Ambrosia and TSM, where the results fueled his suspicion.

Riot has confirmed that it launched an internal investigation earlier this May after receiving reports related to the alleged match-fixing. The company emphasized that while whistleblowers play a crucial role in uncovering misconduct—and community reports are both valued and encouraged—only evidence-based investigations can result in disciplinary action.

If you’re looking to stay updated on the match-fixing scandal in VALORANT’s tier two scene, stay locked in with THESPIKE.GG.