Tuzzy E-Sports dropped its Pokémon UNITE team after allegations of match-fixing surfaced. The team’s former players deny the claims.
The controversy began on April 24, 2025, when Caíque Barral, Tuzzy E-Sports co-owner, received suspicious messages. The messages accused Jander, a former player, of manipulating game results to benefit friends who had placed bets.
Tuzzy E-Sports claimed the messages included fake chat logs and voice recordings. Barral said he didn’t know about the alleged scheme and immediately cut ties with Jander.
Team Reaction
Falb, one of the former players, responded publicly. He denied the match-fixing allegations, stating that the team always gave their best effort. Falb claimed the accusations were baseless and damaged the team’s reputation.
LeL, another former player, also spoke out. He said Tuzzy E-Sports’ ex-manager tried to remove him, Falb, and Souto from the regional tournament team. This would have caused the team to lose its spot in the competition.
Tuzzy E-Sports denied trying to take the team’s spot. They said they wanted to fix their registration for the tournament.
The team’s original lineup was let go. Tuzzy E-Sports said they fired Max due to poor performance. The organization also parted ways with the rest of the original team.
Aftermath
Kyluk and Angel, two players who were still with Tuzzy E-Sports, decided to leave. They joined the former players to compete in the regional tournament.
The situation highlights the challenges esports teams face when dealing with allegations of misconduct. Tuzzy E-Sports’ decision to drop its team has sparked debate within the Pokémon UNITE community.
- Tuzzy E-Sports cut ties with its Pokémon UNITE team due to match-fixing allegations.
- The former players deny the claims, saying they always played to win.
- The controversy has raised questions about the handling of misconduct allegations in esports.
NOTA DE ESCLARECIMENTO:
No dia 24/04/2025, o sócio da Tuzzy E-Sports Caíque Barral recebeu via whatsapp, mensagens de um número desconhecido. O conteúdo dessas mensagens era em tom de cobrança, a respeito de um esquema envolvendo o ex-jogador da equipe Jander de Macedo…
— Tuzzy E-Sports (@TuzzyEsports) May 7, 2025
NUNCA na minha vida entreguei algum campeonato ou joguei para perder qualquer competição que tenha disputado. Podemos não ter conseguido jogar tão bem quanto gostariamos em algum, mas nunca, repito, nunca jogamos para perder. O próprio LAIC foi incrível para todos nós — não só…
— Falb (@misafalb) May 7, 2025
Agora quanto a isso. Após sermos demitidos, o nosso ex-manager foi direto ao nosso discord do Regional, no qual ele solicitou que eu, Falb e Souto fôssemos removidos do time e obviamente da vaga. Vale ressaltar que nós éramos os últimos vigentes da line original. https://t.co/ZQbCYGYmYX pic.twitter.com/HwpMEBbLQS
— LeL (@LeL_Unite) May 7, 2025