Long-standing rumours of a match-fixing scandal at the highest echelons of the "Counter-Strike" eSport competition have gained credence in the light of new evidence and confessions by those involved. The community had suspected that a high profile match between pro-Counter-Strike teams iBUYPOWER and NetcodeGuides.com was thrown deliberately.

iBUYPOWER is widely regarded as one of North America's best "Counter-Strike" team, and it shouldn't have had any trouble defeating the lesser known team. The new evidence, obtained by Daily Dot points to the events leading to the match fixing. Moreover, iBUYPOWER members were heard laughing as they conceded avoidable deaths, even as commentators remarked about their inexplicable decision to forsake firearms and use knives to disastrous effect. You can view the video recording of the match by following this link. The reason behind the match being thrown can be traced to bets amount to $10,000 placed shortly prior to the match according to Gamespot.

The rumours were reignited after Ashley Leboeuf published text messages where her ex-boyfriend Derek Boorn confessed that the match was fixed. Boorn is a professional "Counter-Strike" player who is currently in a team along with ex-iBUYPOWER members. Her accusation was initially dismissed as an act of revenge, but after Daily Dot's investigation a representative of "Counter-Strike" pro-player community ESEA confirmed through Reddit that Derek Boorn's membership had been terminated with the group.

"Derek is an event manager that connects Insider users with professional players for those types of events," the ESEA spokesperson posted. "He does not work with the League division in any capacity and after reviewing things we've terminated him from his role with Insider events."

Kotaku reports that Ashley's incriminating evidence revealed how the match was dropped at the behest of community member Duc "cud" Pham. Alternate accounts were used by the same individual to place bets to avoid leaving any trace. Leboeuf's claim was corroborated by betting site CSGO Lounge. Apparently, Pham had used nine different accounts to bet a maximum possible value of nearly $1,200 per account.

Interestingly, speaking to Daily Dot, Boorn neither confirmed nor denied Leboeuf's accusation, but he stated that he had "zero interest in participating in any type of revenge mission she [Leboeuf] has going." The case was further bolstered after another ex-iBUYPOWER player confessed of his involvement in the same match-fixing scandal. Shahzeb Khan, who now plays for the American team Cloud9, reportedly changed his bets after Netcode Guides' founder Casey Foster informed that the match was thrown.

This latest scandal has put a huge dent in the credibility of "Counter-Strike" pro-gaming scene. According to PC Gamer, the community had already been reeling under last year's revelation where many top players had been found cheating.