Former GODSENT Player Joel Gets Suspended Over Match-Fixing Allegations

By Tit Krajnik

20 Sep 2023

Tit Krajnik 20 Sep 2023

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Former GODSENT player Joel "Joel" Holmlund got suspended due to match-fixing allegations
ESIC announced the news on Wednesday, September 20
The decision is not final

Esports Integrity Commission (credit: via esic.gg)

On Wednesday, September 20, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) released a statement detailing the provisional suspension of Counter-Strike player Joel "Joel" Holmlund. The 18-year-old got suspended in light of evidence relating to match-fixing, which supposedly happened between March 27 – May 1.

Former GODSENT player Joel has been suspended from professional Counter-Strike play due to allegations of match-fixing. The 18-year-old supposedly breached the anti-corruption code between March 27 and May 1 during BetBoom Playlist Urbanistic event.

According to ESIC's statement, Joel supposedly placed bets on matches he was playing in, including against his own team in a match GODSENT lost, where Joel played "particularly poorly". The 18-year-old also placed 17 other bets on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matches during the said time period.

With that, Joel violated two sections of ESIC's anti-corruption code, one of which specifically references "fixing or contriving in any way or otherwise influencing (a match) improperly". GODSENT responded to the news and confirmed that Joel's benching from the team in May was related to the allegations.

"Joel's suspension from GODSENT followed us being informed of serious allegations relating to match-fixing and betting in between March 27 and May 1, on our own and other matches, coming from relevant parties in the industry. As soon as we retrieved the information, we immediately suspended Joel from play. Then we have been closely collaborating with ESIC in helping them build a case and collecting evidence in collaboration with third parties."

As it stands now, Joel's suspension is only provisional, meaning that while he is banned from competing, the decision is not yet final. It's unclear how long the temporary suspension will last; however, ESIC has confirmed that more information on the matter will become available on or after October 6.

Joel has responded to the allegations and denied the charges. However, as confirmed by ESIC, the organisation has a lot of evidence, including betting records, links between betting accounts and social media platforms and a digital footprint.

If Joel is found guilty, his esports career will likely meet its early end. The 18-year-old made his first appearance in competitive CS:GO in 2020, but it wasn't until 2022 that he appeared in a notable team (Monte). At the start of 2023, Joel joined GODSENT and quickly left his mark as the highest-rated player on the roster.