Seungmin “ban” Oh is facing a 12-month suspension from competitive VALORANT play following an investigation of a match-fixing incident.
Riot Games is suspending Seungmin "ban" Oh from professional VALORANT competitions for match-fixing. Read all the details below.
ban banned from competitive VALORANT
The competitive ruling against the ex-TALON and Global Esports player ban was made public on Dec. 18. However, the disciplinary proceedings began on Dec. 3. He is suspended from all Riot-sanctioned competitions. He will have to undergo educational training focused on integrity and ethics within a competitive environment before coming back.
According to Riot's timeline, they were made aware on Aug. 27, 2025 of a post that contained unverified screenshots, which contained a conversation about fixing matches in VCT Pacific. Riot then tapped Sportradar to investigate. This investigation concluded on Nov. 18.
ban self-reported the act to his team management before the investigation began. "While this disclosure occurred after the match in question had concluded, its timing occurred before disciplinary proceedings began and was therefore treated as a meaningful mitigating circumstance."
"Based on the investigation, Riot Games did not find evidence that could conclusively verify the authenticity of the abovementioned screenshots or allegations. However, information gathered through witness testimonies and document review, indicated that Ban may have engaged in match-fixing related activities," said Riot Games.
The specific match in question was a VCT Pacific 2025 match between Global Esports and Team Secret on July 19. The investigation was unable to conclude that ban fixed the match in any way, but he is getting the suspension due to discussing and entertaining game manipulation with individuals for money.
"The competitive performance evaluation... was insufficient to conclusively establish that Ban intentionally underperformed and attempted to manipulate the match of interest," said Riot Games.
"Engaging with individuals who propose match manipulation and agreeing to their terms to fix a match, is in itself a violation, whether or not the manipulation is ultimately carried out. Participation in such discussions, even without plans to act on them, breaches the Global Code of Conduct"
ban was released from the Global Esports roster as the org rebuilt for 2026. This investigation may have been a major factor in their decision. The 12-month suspension means that ban will have to sit out the VALORANT 2026 competitive year, and the earliest we can see him would be in 2027.
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