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In a statement released last Friday, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that it has issued additional bans to six or more current or former players tied to a notorious match-fixing syndicate in Belgium.
François-Arthur Vibert, Agustin Moyano, Jerome Inzerillo, Romain Bauvy, Yannick Jankovits, and David Guez have all received formal bans from the sport following the ITIA announcements of match-fixing-related sanctions.
The ITIA also unveiled that all the players were connected to Grigor Sargsyan, who is the leader of the syndicate. Sargsyan was given a five-year custodial sentence in 2023 for his role in orchestrating the match-fixing operations, but the investigation is far from over as the ITIA continues to uncover links to Sargsyan’s network.
Five Players Admit to Breaches
The ITIA announced that five players admitted to breaches, with three French players their sanctions and waiving their rights to a hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO). The affected matches were said to have taken place between 2017 and 2018.
Jerome Inzerillo, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 354 in July 12, accepted his five-year and seven-month sanction, which came with a $50,000 fine. The 34-year-old’s suspension began on 27 October 2024 and will continue until 26 May 2030.
David Guez also accepted an agreed sanction of four years and would have to pay a $25,000 fine, of which $17,500 is suspended. The Frenchman reached a career-high world singles ranking of 116 in July 2010 but now faces suspension until 24 October 2028.
Romain Bauvy is the last Frenchman and faces a similar four-year suspension as Guez. His would end on 5 November 2028 and carries no fines.
Players Seek AHO Hearing
Yannick Jankovits and François-Arthur Viber both requested that their cases be referred to an independent anti-corruption hearing officer (AHO) to determine sanction. The case was ruled by AHO Janie Soublière, who ended up suspending and fining both players.
Vibert, who reached a career-high singles ranking of 591 in September 2012, received a suspension of two years and three months. The 34-year-old was fined $35,000, with $28,500 of that amount suspended. His suspension is set to commence on June 12, 2024, and will extend through September 11, 2026.
Meanwhile, Jankovits is facing a two-year suspension and a fine of $28,000, of which $21,000 is also suspended. As a result, he is prohibited from participating in all professional tennis events until October 20, 2026.
One player, Agustin Moyana, denied all charges and is requesting a full hearing. The Argentine, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 1343 in September 2015, still received a 15 year suspension and a $10,000 fine. AHO Charles Hollander KC on the 34-year-old’s case, suspending him up until December 2039.
During their suspension, the players are banned from coaching, attending, or playing at any professional tennis event authorized by governing bodies such as the ATP, ITF, WTA, USTA, Fédération Française de Tennis, Tennis Australia, and Wimbledon.
Source: iGamingBusiness
