“Between us, I hate Arteezy for this year.” Bulba is accused of helping a teammate to cover up 322, mistreating and badmouthing players

Ukrainian professional offlaner Mark “Mangekyou” Kharlamov has unleashed a comprehensive exposé targeting former Shopify Rebellion coach Kanishka “bulba” Sosale. The detailed allegations paint a troubling picture of professional misconduct within elite Dota 2 competition.

Mangekyou’s account, supported by extensive chat screenshots and documentation, reveals a pattern of inappropriate behavior including psychological pressure, verbal abuse, and attempts to weaponize match-fixing allegations post-departure. These revelations provide unprecedented insight into the behind-the-scenes dynamics of professional esports organizations.

Former teammate Hellscream partially confirmed the allegations, acknowledging Bulba’s problematic behavior during bootcamps while noting some exaggeration in the narrative.

Bulba has categorically denied these accusations, maintaining he only became aware of match-fixing rumors later and terminated Mangekyou’s contract upon discovering evidence. The coach countered with claims about the player’s negative attitude, poor work ethic, and general toxicity within the team environment.

The controversy ignited when Bulba publicly accused Mangekyou of match-fixing (commonly referred to as 322 in esports) during a RAMZES’s streaming broadcast. The offlaner acknowledged his involvement but provided crucial context about the circumstances that led to his participation in the scheme.

Initially, I declined the offer, but when they increased the amount to $4,000, I consented under the specific condition that wagers would exclusively back our team’s success. The organizers assured me this presented no complications since the opposing match-fixing squads would intentionally lose against us. However, when substantial money was placed on our victory in one match, my teammates somehow managed to lose despite my efforts to secure the win.

This placed me in an impossible situation: “You must deliberately lose the next game, or you’ll owe us the money.”

Fear of indebtedness to organized crime figures left me terrified – I valued my physical safety and wellbeing. Ultimately, I intentionally lost a single match but never received any payment. Who could anticipate being betrayed in such circumstances? The outcome: financial desperation, criminal coercion, one thrown match, and zero financial compensation received.

Mangekyou explained that his family faced severe economic hardship after relocating to Poland in 2022, creating the vulnerability that made him consider the illicit offer. He emphasizes that his original agreement stipulated he would only compete for the winning side, highlighting the complex ethical dilemmas professional gamers can face when financial pressures mount.

This admission reveals the challenging reality many esports professionals encounter when balancing competitive integrity against pressing financial needs, particularly those from regions with limited economic opportunities.

When Mangekyou joined the Shopify Rebellion roster, Coach Bulba directly confronted him about circulating match-fixing rumors. Following the player’s confession, Bulba allegedly implemented a comprehensive strategy to contain the situation and prevent it from damaging the team’s reputation.

The coach pledged to “champion the player’s cause” and actively worked to manage the information flow. He reached out to other team managers, requested one to maintain silence about the incident, and consulted with Fishman, who had previously learned about the 322 involvement directly from Mangekyou.

Mangekyou further alleged that Bulba consistently disparaged his former professional players. Screenshot evidence included derogatory comments about Arteezy and SabeRLight-, among other prominent names in the competitive scene.

Bulba provided vivid descriptions of how “terrible” his previous players performed and claimed qualification losses resulted from their shortcomings. Even at that time, I should have recognized the red flags when a coach openly criticized and faulted his team members in my presence, but my inexperience and naivety prevented me from understanding the professional boundary violations occurring.

Former EG offlaner RAMZES also received significant criticism from Bulba, who asserted the player demonstrated laziness and began using “all dangerous narcotics” during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Mangekyou first encountered his new teammates physically three months after joining the organization, during ESL One Bangkok 2024. Based on his account, adaptation challenges combined with insufficient organizational support negatively impacted both competitive results and personal morale.

The tournament environment descended into complete chaos. Shopify deployed an enormous support team including a psychologist, contract administrator (questioning the necessity), content creator, and game analyst. Consequently, eleven individuals crowded into the same thirty square meter space. Continuous distractions, camera crews, vlogging activities, and teammates physically disturbing my gaming chair during practice matches made concentration virtually impossible.

According to the player’s testimony, Bulba’s pressure tactics reached particularly extreme levels. Documented evidence shows the coach employed offensive language while directing him on proper conduct outside of competitive matches.

Following a disappointing performance at ESL One Bangkok, Bulba reportedly demanded additional practice matches after completing two official tournament games. He selected Visage for Mangekyou’s hero, a choice the player considered disastrous given the matchup circumstances.

After the practice match defeat, he approached me, struck my tournament monitor with such force that it powered off completely, then devoted thirty minutes to publicly humiliating me before the entire squad. He emphasized how “exceptionally amazing” the Shopify organization operates and the tremendous opportunity they provided me. At that moment, I understood this team environment wasn’t suitable for me. Following the competition, I already intended to depart, but management persuaded me to remain for the winter qualification matches. <…>

The intensity of pressure and verbal abuse escalated progressively over time. Eventually, Bulba began reproaching the player for the match-fixing incident, despite previous assurances and protective measures he had implemented.

During training sessions, all criticism focused exclusively on my performance. He reviewed only my errors, despite everyone making significant mistakes. A minor disagreement with Timado rapidly escalated into Bulba intervening in the conflict and calling me derogatory names including “son of a whore,” referencing “excessive ego,” labeling me a single-hero specialist and renewing match-fixing accusations. <…>

In one competitive game [during FISSURE Playground], I requested Pangolier but received Visage in an unfavorable matchup. Following the defeat, Bulba devoted two hours to berating me for excessive deaths, despite our team having minimal chance of victory. He then snatched my mobile device from my hands when a notification arrived, threatening to discard it from the window, believing I wasn’t paying attention to his instructions. This overwhelming pressure reduced me to tears. The team psychologist arrived, recommended taking a walk, and I shared my emotional state. He expressed shock at the pressure levels but advised me to move forward and secure victory in tomorrow’s match: “Because your career needs this success more than the organization does.”

The FISSURE Playground tournament represented the breaking point for Mangekyou, leading to his departure from Shopify Rebellion. However, the coach’s actions reportedly continued beyond the separation.

Bulba allegedly initiated communications with other professional players, competing organizations, and tournament operators to exclude the offlaner from future competitive events. Many players reportedly feared collaborating with him as a direct consequence of Bulba’s campaigning efforts.

Following these developments, Mangekyou proactively contacted multiple tournament organizers, including PGL and ESL, to verify his eligibility status for their competitions. The organizing bodies responded confirming they had no competitive restrictions against him.

I directly approached the tournament organizers myself. They verified that Bulba requested my disqualification based on match-fixing allegations. The TOs conducted thorough investigations but discovered no evidence supporting claims of competitive integrity violations. Both ESL and PGL organizations maintain no competitive sanctions against me. Therefore, all statements Bulba made were demonstrably false.

This situation highlights the complex power dynamics within professional esports, where coaches and organizations can significantly influence players’ career trajectories through both official channels and behind-the-scenes influence.

The allegations raise serious questions about coaching ethics, organizational accountability, and the mechanisms available for players to address professional misconduct within the rapidly evolving esports industry.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » “Between us, I hate Arteezy for this year.” Bulba is accused of helping a teammate to cover up 322, mistreating and badmouthing players Dota 2 coach Bulba faces explosive accusations of match-fixing cover-ups and player abuse from former Shopify Rebellion offlaner Mangekyou