TaiLung responds to allegations and TI15 ban in fierce rebuttal

Michael Hassall Published 12/08/2026

Sanctioned Dota 2 player Santiago “TaiLung” Agüero Gustavo has made a dramatic response to allegations of match-fixing and his ban from The International 2026 and all future PGL events in a new Facebook post.

The response, posted on the evening of Aug. 11, addresses multiple accusations and the ban against him by PGL. The post also criticizes the investigation process and situation surrounding his ban and suspension from the LGD Dota 2 roster ahead of TI15.

TaiLung fires back at accusers in TI15 ban rebuttal

TaiLung was banned from TI15 and all future PGL events on Aug. 8, as well as being removed from LGD. The news of his ban was published directly by LGD, with no official comment from PGL or Valve made on the banning.

The Peruvian player initially opted for silence, saying on an Instagram post that he had been advised by lawyers not to comment. Now in a fierce rebuttal on Facebook, Tailung has attempted to cast doubt on his accusers, while giving his breakdown of how the accusations and investigation started.

A portion of Tailung’s statement (Translated via Google). Image via Tailung on Facebook.

Describing that the investigation began after LGD was notified after “a data analyst associated with a bookmaker had detected an account placing bets on our games” (as per a translation via Google). Following this, Tailung alleges that teammates started to look to him as the guilty party, and LGD began an initial investigation which ended on Aug. 6 with no wrongdoing found.

Subsequently Tailung was reportedly asked to give up his phone, and conversations, which the player described “as an old Discord conversation with a friend” discussing money were highlighted. A message from an unknown number also seemed to potentially incriminate Tailung, who at some point, he reveals, attempted to destroy his phone.

The player maintains that the pressure and stress of the accusation caused his erratic behavior. He also calls on PGL and LGD to give the exact reason for his suspension and

The post seems likely to have been heavily curated by Tailung’s legal team, and deliberately casts doubts on the validity of several of his accusers. It also clearly lays the groundwork for a potential defamation suit, with PGL and LGD the potential targets.

Michael Hassall

About Michael Hassall

Michael is an eight-year veteran of games writing and has been playing games for as long as he can remember. With bylines across the internet, he has used his expertise to cover esports, prediction markets, mainstream gaming, streamers and more.

View full profile

Read Also

Dota 2

BetBoom Team puts Dota 2 team on hold, moves players to inactive Michael Hassall Esports organization BetBoom has put a hold on its Dota 2 esports project, making its entire roster inactive, and pausing its competition in the game. BetBoom, who also compete in Counter-Strike 2, have been a part of the Dota 2 ecosystem for over four years, first competing in 2022. However, after an announcement today (Oct. 2), the team will pause its efforts within the game, seemingly pledging to return. The ...

Dota 2

Professional Dota 2 will return to the home of some of its most celebrated events as ESL FACEIT announces ESL One Mun... Michael Hassall From April 4-11, ESL One Munich will bring top-tier competitive Dota 2 to this historic German city. From April 9-11, fans will be able to attend in-person at the BMW Park in Munich, experiencing what is reported to be a state-of-the-art production utilizing the venue’s unique LED flooring. Here’s the details.ESL One Munich to take place in April 2027 Following in the footsteps of the incredible ESL One Berlin from ...

Esports Betting

WEC26 announces $500,000 prize pool and shares details of this year’s competition Michael Hassall The International Esports Federation has revealed that this year’s World Esports Championship (WEC26) will feature a $500,000 USD prize split across its events. Unveiled by release on Monday (Oct. 26), the prize represents a significant increase from last year's $100,000 pool The international tournament, set to feature Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile and eFootball will take place in Banten, Indonesia, between the 15 and 20 ...

Dota 2

The reign of Yandex to continue? PARI Universe Dota 2 tournament preview and predictions Michael Hassall After a short break in proceedings, the 2026/2027 Dota 2 event season is set to continue with PARI Universe, a new Dota 2 tournament from FISSURE set to take place over the next two weeks. Even with a smaller prize pool ($250,000) and a limited number of teams, this tournament is hitting top-tier competition levels because of the calibre of names involved, and the arrival of Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak on ...

Dota 2

BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions and preview Michael Hassall It’s been a long road, but after a strangely-formatted group stage, and a decidedly anticlimactic playoffs, we’re down to the final three teams in BLAST SLAM VIII. The finals are today (Oct. 11) and we’ll see the premier teams in Dota 2 clash. Perhaps disappointingly, we’re not seeing a new wave of top-teams at the pinnacle of Dota 2 competition, with the three final teams being the same trio we’ve ...

Dota 2

Who will prevail?: BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs preview, predictions, and more Michael Hassall After a week of intense Group Stage, Last Chance and Seeding stage matches, and a few days of rest, BLAST SLAM VIII returns tomorrow (Oct. 8) with the Playoffs. If we’re honest, there haven’t been too many surprises. We’d liked to have seen a BetBoom or Team Liquid make the cut, but ultimately these aren’t the teams of earlier in the year, and with new rosters comes new uncertainty. That's ...

Dota 2

Dota 2’s new Tidehunter Arcana is mind-blowing, but prepare to spend $200+ to get it Michael Hassall Night owls in North America and early risers in Europe woke up to a brand new Dota 2 Arcana, the first new release of Dota’s rarest and most-coveted cosmetics since 2024. The recipient? Tidehunter, whose Maw of the Megladon Arcana transforms the already selachian sea-dweller into a full-blown shark. But while Arcana’s have traditionally been part of big events in Dota 2, either the now-discontinued Battle Passes, or most recently, ...