Brazilian Counter-Strike veteran Epitácio “TACO” de Melo has revealed a startling story from his MIBR days. He says someone once offered him money to throw a top-tier match in China.
Why does this matter? Match-fixing remains one of the biggest threats to competitive integrity in esports. When a respected player like TACO comes forward with a firsthand account, it adds real weight to ongoing concerns about corruption in the scene.
Setting the Scene
TACO shared the story alongside his former MIBR teammate Marcelo “coldzera” David during an appearance on the Flow Podcast. At the time, TACO was part of the legendary MIBR roster, one of Brazil’s most storied Counter-Strike lineups. The team had traveled to China to compete in a tournament against Evil Geniuses (EG).
Only one of those meetings took place in China: the CS:GO Asia Championships 2019, held in Shanghai. That event is widely regarded as a genuine tier-1 tournament, featuring teams such as Evil Geniuses, Avangar, MOUZ, G2, ENCE, MIBR, TYLOO, and ViCi.
What TACO Says Happened
In his own words, TACO described being approached by a man before the match. The person first framed the conversation as a business offer, claiming to represent a Chinese streaming platform and asking TACO to stream on it.
TACO agreed to talk, thinking it was a normal sponsorship discussion. However, the conversation quickly shifted. The man then asked TACO how much money he wanted in exchange for losing the following day’s match.
TACO says he refused immediately, thanked the man, and walked away. The next day, MIBR went on to beat Evil Geniuses 2-0 in the actual match. After the win, TACO admitted he worried the same people might try to retaliate against him for turning down the offer.
The match record confirms the result: MIBR defeated Evil Geniuses 2-0 at the CS:GO Asia Championships 2019 in Shanghai. FalleN led MIBR’s lineup with a standout performance, finishing with a 1.26 rating, while TACO posted a 1.08 rating in the same match.
Why This Story Still Matters
TACO’s account highlights how easily match-fixing attempts can be disguised as legitimate business offers before they reveal their true intent. It also shows that even top-tier events, involving well-known organizations, are not immune to these approaches.
As esports continues to grow in size and prize money, stories like TACO’s serve as a reminder that integrity checks and player awareness remain essential. For fans and organizations alike, incidents such as this reinforce why transparency from players who speak up matters for the health of competitive Counter-Strike.
