ESIC Bans Five NOMERCY CS2 Players Over Roman Imperium Cup VII Match Manipulation: kzy Lifetime Ban Timeline (Oct 2026)

TL;DR: On 15 Oct 2026 the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) announced final sanctions against five players of the CS2 team NOMERCY over match manipulation at Roman Imperium Cup VII. Oliver "kzy" Heck got a lifetime ban, James8k and perakokanje got 5 years, and 2xplayN and srtn1 got 3 years. The four matches in question were played on 28 March 2026. This article follows ESIC's published decision and HLTV's report. Where the sources don't say something, we say so.

Timeline

• 28 March 2026: At Roman Imperium Cup VII in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, NOMERCY played four best-of-one group-stage matches. HLTV lists the scores as BetBoom 13-0, Sangal 13-3, BESTIA 13-1 and Wildcard 13-1, each against NOMERCY. ESIC says betting intelligence found "a structured, high-value pre-match combination wager" targeting a −9.5 round handicap across all four matches, and that "each result aligned with the targeted outcome."
• 23 April 2026: ESIC announced an interim suspension of NOMERCY and five named players. ESIC called it a protective measure and said it "does not constitute a final determination of guilt." It listed concerns about unusual betting patterns, gameplay behaviour and team formation. HLTV's coverage at the time added that the tournament organiser told RTP Arena the bet had been voided by the bookmaker. HLTV said it was unclear whether other bookmakers did the same.
• 15 June 2026: ESIC says it received a detailed written response from 2xplayN on this date and weighed it on the merits.
• 17 September 2026: ESIC dates all five final decisions from this day. They replace the provisional suspensions.
• 15 Oct 2026: ESIC publishes the decisions. HLTV reports them the same day.

The sanctions

Player	Ban	Credited expiry (per ESIC)
Oliver "kzy" Heck	Lifetime	No fixed expiry
János "James8k" Fodor	5 years	23 April 2031
Petar "perakokanje" Bešir	5 years	23 April 2031
Palkovics "2xplayN" Tamás	3 years	23 April 2029
Sreten "srtn1" Smiljanić	3 years	23 April 2029

Each fixed term gives credit for the provisional suspension served since 23 April 2026. That is why the end dates are April 2031 and April 2029 rather than later. ESIC says re-eligibility after a fixed term is still subject to Article 6.7 of its code.

What ESIC says it found

The evidence. ESIC lists a Runestone Data Partner Report, full-match gameplay review, player-specific analysis, roster information, communications and financial material "where produced," and participant responses. On gameplay, it cites "repeated failures in trading, utility use, positioning and decision-making." It then adds an important caveat: "no isolated gameplay error, transaction or communication was treated as determinative." The finding rests on the combined evidence, not on one play.

kzy (lifetime). ESIC found breaches of Articles 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.4 (match manipulation, corrupt in-game incidents, facilitating corrupt conduct) plus failures to comply with Articles 4.2 and 4.3 (cooperation). It named his "central leadership and calling role, involvement in veto decisions, repeated gameplay involvement and complete non-cooperation" as material to the lifetime sanction.

James8k and perakokanje (5 years). Same corruption and cooperation breaches. Their alternative betting-related charges were "treated as admitted" under Article 4.8.1. ESIC says the five-year terms reflect the findings and complete non-cooperation, while neither was established to have kzy's leadership culpability.

2xplayN and srtn1 (3 years). ESIC credited 2xplayN's detailed responses, financial and communications production, continued engagement, youth and relative lack of experience. For srtn1 it credited initial interrogatory answers that were "incomplete and inconsistent" but still counted as mitigation, and his lack of a leadership role.

What "treated as admitted" means

ESIC is careful on this point, so we are too. Some charges were treated as admitted because a written hearing request was not submitted in time (Article 4.8.1 and 4.6.6). ESIC says these procedural admissions "are distinct from voluntary confessions and do not mean that no investigative response or written defence was received." Read it as a procedural step, not as a confession.

The other side

We did not find a public statement from the five players or from NOMERCY in the ESIC page or HLTV's report. ESIC's page describes responses that were submitted privately, with 2xplayN's the most substantive and kzy's described as complete non-cooperation. If a player responds publicly or appeals, this section should be updated. We could not confirm from the sources whether any appeal is possible or planned.

Details that vary between outlets

• Spelling. ESIC's final decision writes "2xplayN," while its April statement and HLTV write "playN." They appear to be the same player.
• Bet size. Some secondary outlets have reported large bet and payout figures. ESIC's decision gives none, and HLTV says the bet was voided by one bookmaker. We have not repeated unverified amounts.
• Scope. The ban covers ESIC and ESIC-member events and activities under Article 6.5. That includes playing, coaching, managing, analysis and similar roles. It is not described as a ruling by Valve or by every tournament organiser, though ESIC says members must take reasonable enforcement steps under Article 9.1.

Why it matters

• It is a rare case where an integrity body published the betting structure (a four-match combination on round margins), the evidence types and the reasoning behind each sanction.
• The tiers show how ESIC weighs leadership, cooperation and mitigation. The same offence produced a lifetime ban and a three-year ban.
• The matches were in a tier-2 LAN, not a top-tier event. The sanctions are final decisions, but they do not touch any other team or player.

Sources: ESIC, "ESIC Issues Sanctions Against Five NOMERCY Participants" (15 Oct 2026) and "Public Statement on Interim Suspension of Team NOMERCY and Associated Participants" (23 Apr 2026); HLTV, "ESIC bans NOMERCY for match manipulation" (15 Oct 2026) and "ESIC suspends NOMERCY amid integrity breach probe." Read 16 Oct 2026. Allegations stated here are ESIC's findings; this site has not independently reviewed the evidence.

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