A new scandal involving the tennis modality was disclosed this week. This time in Tunisia, three tennis referees were banned due to match-fixing. According to published information, referees Majd Affi, Mohamed Ghassen Snene and Abderahim Gharsallah were punished for involvement in match-fixing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
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In a statement, two revealed names were banned from tennis until the year 2027, while one of the names received a 20-year punishment. According to the International Tennis Integrity Agency, the referees violated sections D.1.b and D.1.d of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
For example, section D.1.b says that no person shall “Directly or indirectly, facilitate any other person to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of any Event or any other tennis competition.”. Section D.1.d states that “No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive the outcome, or any other aspect, of any Event”.
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That said, the ITIA reported that the three referees banned in Tunisia will no longer be able to participate or work in any tennis event that is part of the Agency or the national and international tennis body. For example, in the case of Madj Affi, the referee received a 20-year punishment for match-fixing in the period from 2017 to 2020.
According to the ITIA, Affi was punished for violating sections D.2.c and F.2.b, which refer to a failure to cooperate with the governing authorities. Section F.2.b states that: “All Covered Persons must cooperate fully with investigations conducted by the ITIA including giving evidence at hearings, if requested”.
It is important to say that referees Snene and Gharsallah were punished with minor bans as they were linked to the match-fixing of an event in Tunisia in the year 2020. Meanwhile, Affi faces accusations of events since 2017, and due to this, his penalty is scheduled for until November 5, 2040.
Meanwhile, Snene and Gharsallah must serve their respective sentences until November 5, 2027. It is important to say that the sentences had been clarified on November 6, 2020, when the referees ended up being suspended due to investigations.
However, this was not the first case disclosed in 2022. Previously, Portuguese referee Daniel Zeferino had been banned from the sport for life for defrauding several matches. In addition, there was also the disclosure of six players who ended up being banned for participating in match-fixing, in this case: Marc Fornell Mestres, Jorge Marse Vidri, Carlos Ortega, Jaime Ortega, Marcos Torralbo and Pedro Bernabe Franco.
In the case of the six tennis players, the ITIA had the support of the International Association of Betting Integrity (IBIA) and the Spanish authorities to investigate the situation. In review, the ITIA had revealed the following about the players: “The completion of this long-term investigation is an important moment for tennis in its fight against corruption. While we are not pleased to see six individuals receive criminal convictions and bans, the message is clear: match-fixing can lead to a prison sentence and could end your tennis career.”
Furthermore, the ITIA president clarified: “It also serves as a wake-up call that organized crime is targeting sport, and governments and law enforcement agencies, as well as anti-corruption bodies in sport, need to take this threat seriously.”
“This is one of the most significant infiltrations of tennis by organized crime we have ever seen. I commend the involvement of law enforcement agencies and the prosecution of entire criminal networks, not just the actors involved. This decision sends a strong message that match-fixing is a crime that can lead to criminal convictions. I must pay tribute to our investigative, intelligence and legal teams who have worked tirelessly over the past five years to bring this case to a close. We also had excellent cooperation between the ITIA and the Spanish law enforcement agencies, as well as the unwavering support of the tennis bodies. Ultimately, we are immensely grateful to the betting industry for their evidence leading to these convictions.”
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