The First of Many ?

Drew · Nov 10, 2007

The First of Many ?

wolf · Tennis legend

I posted this on AM.com:

This is a stupid suspension, they are just trying to make an example out ot him. I bet if this had happened last year they would have done nothing about it, but because of all the scandals with all this throwing matches stuff going on they thought they had better do something.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

I am sure you are right, they are using him as an example. He apparently only gambled small amounts and never on his own matches.

BUT. . .

It is the thin end of the wedge. The rules are quite clear - no professional player may gamble on tennis AT ALL. So, if you don't punish him, just where do you draw the line? Although he never gambled on his own matches he may have gambled on matches where he had inside information as to a player not feeling well, etc.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

The bizarre thing about this is that he actually lost money when he gambled on the matches, so if he was getting inside information, he wasn't using it very well

It's kind of an empty gesture, as it shows the ATP are doing something, but they penalise a lower ranked player when the bigger names get away with what they are currently doing.

Still, at least it is a sign they are doing something, which it better than what we are used to

steven · Tennis legend

There's a huge (and I mean huge, which is why I'm not translating it!) article about the bettng scandal in the German newspaper die Welt today, alleging that Philipp Kohlscreiber has been named to them as one of 30 players involved in various levels of betting-related skullduggery.

http://www.welt.de/sport/article1350924/Betrug_der_Wettmafia_im_Tennis_fliegt_auf.html

Predictably, perhaps, the journalist didn't get even the basic, freely available facts right when describing the match Kohli is alleged to have thrown. Equally unsurprisingly, Kohli is now threatening to sue. :)

They say the list supplied to them has the following players at the top of the list of number of allegedly suspicious matches played in:

Filippo Volandri (11)
Martin Vasallo Arguello (9)
Sergio Roitman (8)
Mariano Puerta (7)

Yes, that's right, three of them are Argentinians LOL. They haven't done a great job of convincing me that they have any real evidence though.

-- Edited by steven at 20:55, 2007-11-11

Sheddie · administrator

I cant believe that some players have been stupid enough to keep their betting accounts open with all the match-fixing scandal going on in the past few months

as wolf says, they're certainly trying to make an example out of him but he was playing a dangerous game...it's tough to know whether he could have had inside info or not....particularly as he was at a lower level and so would be playing a mix of challengers and ATPs....the no of posts on MTF alleging that certain players in challenger tourneys will definately "tank" such and such a match, is amazing !

Sheddie · administrator

2 more players have been suspended for betting....seems overly harsh to me. I agree with Andy Castle that with this each case should be treated on its merits and this doesnt seem to be happening atm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7157309.stm