kaffs Calls on SA Dota 2 to Fight Match-Fixing

Published September 14, 2026

Former LGD Gaming coach Igor “kaffs” Furtado has called on the South American Dota 2 community to confront match-fixing following ESIC’s announced investigation outcomes involving Juan David “Vintage” Angulo Nicho and Osvaldo Gonzalo “DarkMago” Herrera Martinez. His appeal places the issue at the centre of a wider argument about the region’s competitive future, rather than treating the sanctions as an isolated disciplinary episode.

kaffs said South America had recently produced one of the world’s biggest generations of new talent and had, across many seasons, at least two strong organisations that invested in internationally competitive line-ups. He contrasted that picture with what he described as the scale of the current problem. Recalling that his own team qualified for TI earlier this year after beating PlayTime in a final, he said he had publicly argued that the region deserved two slots and criticised the lack of them. He has now reversed that view, saying the region may not deserve two places and could potentially lose even one in the future. The coach’s point was not a confirmed change to any slot allocation, but a warning about the damage that match-fixing can do to confidence in South American competition.

A warning aimed at the whole region

The former coach described the situation in particularly severe terms, saying that more than half of the teams in the playoffs of any South American qualifier have at least one player he considers compromised, while adding that this wording was still restrained. He urged the community to take the problem seriously and said match-fixing should be treated as one of the gravest offences in esports. In his view, people connected to such conduct should face punishment rather than receive admiration or celebrity status. That message broadens the focus beyond individual cases: kaffs is asking the scene to reconsider whom it celebrates and how it reacts when integrity concerns are raised. He also pointed to Matthew as a person from the region who, in kaffs’ view, understands the seriousness of the situation.

kaffs said a personal friend involved in tournament organisation had advised him to leave the region and coach elsewhere because of the situation. He also raised the possibility that organisers could eventually stop holding South American qualifiers. This was presented as his concern about where the problem could lead, not as an announced decision by any organiser. Alongside the warning, he asked community members to report relevant suspected violations so that further investigations can begin, including through anonymous reporting. He credited Wits and Astini for their contribution to the fight against “322,” a term used in the discussion of match-fixing. kaffs also mentioned Elmisho and Scofield as having been affected by troubles connected with the wider story. On TaiLung, he said he would temporarily refrain from comment and called for trust in the bodies conducting proceedings and checks. A review connected to TaiLung is ongoing, and the player denies the accusations.

What is confirmed in the current cases

The immediate disciplinary backdrop is ESIC’s completed work concerning Vintage and DarkMago. The announced penalties differ substantially, which makes it important not to reduce the development to a single, uniform ruling. Separately, the matter involving TaiLung remains unresolved in the material currently discussed: there is an active check, but no outcome is stated. kaffs’ request for reporting and patience with investigators therefore sits alongside both completed sanctions and a case still under review.

• Report suspected relevant violations so that new investigations can be initiated; kaffs said anonymous reports can also be made.
• Avoid turning people who helped damage the region in the past into idols or celebrated figures, according to kaffs’ appeal to the community.

Person	Confirmed status described
Vintage	Banned from competition for life following ESIC’s announced investigation outcome.
DarkMago	Banned from competition for five years following ESIC’s announced investigation outcome.

For now, the available information supports a clear distinction between completed ESIC outcomes and the unresolved TaiLung-related check. It does not establish any wider change to South American qualifier slots or confirm what further consequences, if any, the region will face.

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