South American squad Leviathan has dropped under-fire Dota 2 pro player Tommy “Taiga” Le, barely a month after a series of match-fixing allegations surrounding the 25-year-old’s career.
The organization posted on social media, Facebook specifically, on Tuesday that both bodies (player and organization) severed their relationship mutually.
The organization’s statement revealed that the match-fixing allegations were a big reason behind their decision while also revealing that Indonesian player Kenny “Xepher” Deo will reportedly replace Taiga, according to Leviatán’s lineup on Liquipedia, for this week’s EPL World Series: America match.
“Leviatán rejects any unsportsmanlike attitude, and we reinforce our values based on integrity,” the post said.
Taiga returned from the premature retirement from competitive Dota, which he announced in February 2024, barely a month later. He then joined the Argentinian org in March, with the squad finishing fourth in the South American closed qualifier for PGL Wallachia before exiting the team.
However, heavy match-fixing scandals have led to Taiga’s second exit from Dota. Those allegations are from his time at OG between 2022 and 2023. Furthermore, Taiga allegedly leaked insider knowledge and scrim information under the threat of blackmail.
The blackmail are purportedly from a group of Russian match-fixers known as the “322 Mafia. However, OG conducted an independent investigation of its own and maintained neutrality on the issue, especially with the lack of substantial evidence, until the end of the investigation.
Afterward, Taiga moved up to join Bleed Esports but retired from Dota 2 competition after a streak of poor results and took up streaming on Kick before returning to Leviatán.
Meanwhile, no official organizer has publicly acknowledged the allegations against Taiga, and it’s not sure whether Taiga will return to competitive Dota with another Dota 2 team. However, the 25-year-old has immediately returned to Kick to stream.
