ESIC bans SENZA player, suspends five, fines team $20,000

The Esports Integrity Commission finalized an investigation into the former SENZA/-72c squad and related entities and issued sanctions tied to matches played in the CCT Season 3 Europe Series 3 closed qualifier in June 2025.

Kirsan “byek” Ivanov received a two-year ban after the commission concluded he engaged in account-sharing and identity-related cheating misconduct during matches on June 6 and June 8, 2025. The inquiry began after provisional suspensions were imposed on the rostered players, coaches and staff in October 2025.

ESIC reported evidence of irregular account control, writing that “the account used under the identity ‘byek’ was not consistently controlled by a single individual, with evidence including unexplained performance and connectivity irregularities indicative of possible mid-series account hand-offs.” The finding was supported by a written admission from the team ownership.

The commission said it issued formal requests for information but that most participants did not respond or supply required materials, aside from limited information related to “byek.” For failing to cooperate with the investigation, five former -72c players were suspended for one year: Petr “timeagento” Markheev, Spiridon “spira” Popov, Vladislav “melanta” Lazarev, Stepan “borosto” Antonov and Aleksandr “1nhuman” Reshetnikov.

The one-year suspension is cumulative for Markheev. He had been banned for five years in a separate case involving cheating software and/or match manipulation. ESIC set Markheev’s combined sanction to run from March 20, 2025 until March 2031.

SENZA was fined $20,000 after the commission determined the organization failed to cooperate with formal investigatory demands. ESIC wrote that the “organisation did not provide proper responses to formal interrogatories, failed to produce requested materials, and did not preserve or supply relevant evidence, including information relating to roster identity, devices, communications, and its own stated internal investigation – which it failed to produce at any time.” The fine must be paid as a donation to a charity nominated by SENZA and approved by ESIC.

ESIC said SENZA will not be allowed to compete in ESIC member events until proof of payment is provided and accepted by the commission. The sanctions follow a review of match records and account activity tied to the -72c roster during the June 2025 qualifier. The commission identified integrity concerns in -72c’s games against HEROIC Academy and CPH Wolves and based the individual ban on evidence of identity misrepresentation and irregular account control, while the broader penalties stem from failure to cooperate with the investigation.