The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the suspension of seven Belgian tennis players implicated in a match-fixing ring in the country.
The sanctions are related to a recently concluded criminal case involving a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium.
Cooperation between the ITIA and the Belgian authorities resulted in a five-year prison sentence for the syndicate’s leader, Grigor Sargsyan.
The seven players are Arnaud Graisse, Arthur de Greef, Julien Dubail, Romain Barbosa, Maxime Authom, Omar Salman and Alec Witmeur, who were convicted in the criminal court and have subsequently received sanctions from the ITIA.
Punishments for the players
The punishments range from two to four years. Three players, Witmeur, De Greef and Barbosa, have been provisionally suspended since May 2021, when they were formally charged in the criminal proceedings in Belgium, as they were active players at the time.
Time served under provisional suspension will be credited against these players’ periods of ineligibility.
Witmeur admitted six TACP – violations: betting, match-fixing, inside information, and wildcards – violations, while de Greef and Barbosa admitted nine violations.
During their suspensions, players are prohibited from playing, training or attending any tennis event licensed or sanctioned by ITIA members: ATP, ITF, WTA, Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open, or any National Association.