Milkyway to Return to League of Legends Pro Play After Clearance of Match-fixing allegations

Ahead of the start of the LPL Split 2 and the recent ban of jungler Yang “naiyou” Zi-Jian, another Chinese player seems to see the light at the end of the tunnel: former FPX player Cai “milkyway” Zi-Jun has been cleared of the match-fixing allegations that forced him to step away from the league last year.

Milkyway cleared due to “lack of evidence”

In a statement published on Weibo, the investigation conducted by the Luonan police authorities concluded that there was a complete lack of evidence around the match-fixing allegations made against the player.

Last year, FunPlusPhoenix, the club milkyway was playing for, announced it received a whistleblower report claiming that the jungler had leaked drafts and strategies during the 2024 Demacia Cup, while milkyway was still playing for Royal Never Give Up. In the report, the leaked screenshots suggested that milkyway was sharing information with external parties, allowing them to place bets on champion selections before matches.

Even though the investigations were still ongoing, FPX had decided to suspend milkyway. Last November, a report from ChinaGap claimed that milkyway had received a lifetime ban by the LPL, similar to what happened to naiyou recently, and former FPX and Karmine Corp player Zhou “Bo” Yang-Bo before them. That being said, the claims were never confirmed or denied by the LPL.

Milkyway wants to be on the Rift

In the meantime, the player hired a lawyer himself to prove his innocence. After more than half a year from that, the jungler has responded, with the intention of pursuing legal action to whose who tried to spread the allegations: “The internet is not beyond the reach of the law. In order to protect my legitimate rights and interests, I will pursue legal action and hold every person involved in spreading rumors and defaming me fully accountable.” At the end of the message, the player also hints at a potential return to professional play: “See you on stage”.

Prior to his suspension, milkyway was considered one of the hottest prospects in the jungle role. Aside from the top teams like BiliBili Gaming, there might be some teams that might consider the player and upgrade their lineup with the goal of making it to Worlds. That being said, with the LPL Split 2 starting this week, milkyway’s return to pro play will likely be in the third split.