Allegations of improper documentation of Korean players in China have come to light surrounding Tencent Games Arena, the large tournament that qualifies new teams for the League of Legends Secondary Pro League.

During the event's Round of 16, Minjiang University, VP Gaming, and Hua Tu Gaming were disqualified for either having incomplete paperwork or lacking People’s Republic of China work visas or residence permits. A fourth team, Marvelous Gaming Brotherhood, won the tournament and qualified for the LSPL but are currently under investigation for the same reasons.

Team Roar owner Anthony Wong commented on the incidents on Twitter, saying that his team didn’t “bother trying” this TGA because completing the proper paperwork is too important.

So many teams disqualified from TGA for not getting their foreigners the proper visas. — Anthony Wong (@Wongmanrox) December 11, 2015

@karonmoser @leagueofemily Their Koreans didn't have the proper visas. That's the reason why we didn't even bother trying this round. — Anthony Wong (@Wongmanrox) December 11, 2015

The three teams in question lost their ability to compete in TGA during the Round of 16. As a result, one of the Group Stage teams, WK.Panda, who played in the same group as Hua Tu Gaming, has spoken out against the decision made by TGA organizers to simply allow the disqualified teams’ Round of 16 opponents to advance to the quarterfinals.

WK.Panda placed third in Group E. Had Hua Tu Gaming, who placed second in Group E, been disqualified during Group Stage, WK.Panda would have faced Hua Tu Gaming’s Round of 16 opponent, Marvelous Gaming Brotherhood instead.

WK.Panda's weibo referred to TGA as an “unprecedented farce.”

“December 10, 2015, members of the WK.Panda Clan prepare to meet HT in battle. All members and coaches were of a good mental state, and looked forward to possibly obtaining a seed into LSPL. After a ‘life and death battle’ against HT, we lost. A loss is a loss. WK.Panda clan members reviewed their own mistakes. However, the outcome, no matter how sad, was all in vain. "The next day, on behalf of Group E, HT met Marvelous Gaming Brotherhood (MGB). After two wins and one loss, HT advanced to quarterfinals. However, many teams made a surprise move and reported HT clan. After reports, the event representatives attempted to check HT Clan visas, and the HT team representatives blurted out, "If you want to investigate Korean player visas, don’t just check us." After inspection, it is revealed that HT member visa violations do exist! HT were therefore disqualified. MGB qualified for the quarterfinals in their place.”

WK.Panda declared that, according to the rules, they should have been given a notice and a chance to play MGB for the spot into quarterfinals, but they did not receive such notice. WK.Panda also commented on the disqualification of VP Gaming for similar reasons.

“2015 TGA, because these teams are conducting illegal operations, has become a corrupt, unworthy sequel [to former TGAs]. In the majority opinion of League fans, should TGA games not be fair and equitable?” the organization said.

To conclude their statement, WK.Panda lamented the results of TGA and questioned whether, within such an environment, teams could really fulfill their dreams in the future.

Two other teams were disqualified during the Round of 16, but so far it has only been revealed that Minjiang University’s team was disqualified for visa-related reasons. As of the time of this report, it is believed that Tides of Time 1 were disqualified due to unrelated circumstances.

Sources have indicated that, after the fact, the tournament winner, Marvelous Gaming Brotherhood, is also under investigation for incomplete or false visas for Korean player, Lee “Marilyn” Yunsang, previously known as Machi E-sports’ Fiesta. Marilyn joined Machi E-sports as Fiesta in March to participate in the League of Legends Masters Series, but left the team in June.

Marvelous Gaming Brotherhood is owned by Chinese League of Legends ex-pro and icon, Liu “PDD” Mou. He has yet to respond to any allegations publicly. By winning TGA, MGB qualified for the 2016 LSPL Spring. It is assumed that, should they be found guilty of not having the proper player documentation, they will not be able to play in the LSPL Spring Season, but no recourse for who might take their spot has been decided.

The Chinese eSports community has shown concern for foreign players without proper documentation before, and it was under debate earlier this year as to whether Korean players should even be allowed to compete in TGA. Other organizations, such as National Electronic Sports Open earlier this offseason, have increased their documentation requirements for foreign players to compete at their events. NESO required three different documents proving legal residency and employment in China to participate.

Kelsey Moser is a staff writer for theScore eSports. You can follow her on Twitter.