Match fixing

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Match fixing

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

worth a read

www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/tennis-match-fixing-itf-grigor-sargsyan/

www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/tennis-match-fixing-gambling-investigation-belgium

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/tennis/french-player-banned-for-life-on-match-fixing-charges/ar-AA1fonDM

Alexis Musialek was a regular opponent for a lot of our lads over the last 10-15 years (he played Jan and Ali Gray last year, in 2022)

He's now been banned for life from all tennis, fined 50k etc etc, because he was found to have contrived the outcome of multiple matches, received money, benefit or consideration for contriving the outcome of these matches, and facilitated other players not to use their best efforts.

The Belgian ring you mention Jon was huge news in March this year. The French papers, obviously, were full of it.

181 actual players. 50 French players. And lots of coaches/extras too.

"Lenquête de police a conclu que le réseau a manipulé au minimum 376 matchs entre février 2014 et juin 2018."

That's a lot of fixed matches

Separately (well, not seperately but by the ITIA) Musialek, Lescure and Okala have all been banned for life for match fixing. Baptiste Crepatte got three years suspension this year. And Sherazad Reix (the only French woman I've seen so far) got 4 years.

And I just noticed yesterday that Max Brovillé is provisionally suspended by the Integrity unit too (almost certainly for match fixing)

That's a lot of French players - I believe the first one was part of the huge Belgian ring busted in 2018, as above, with the Armenian leader going to prison for 5 years, and all the rest being banned and fined. The others were all connected - it was a huge ring - and found as part of the 2019 huge investigation in France. I don't know what's happening to all the others, though - if there were 181 players discovered in the police investigation, why aren't they all banned? Or does the ITIA have to do it their own way and can't rely on the police?

But it's obviously a major problem in France, that's a lot of players, all similar profile...... Indeed, in the civil case that started in March 2023 in Belgium, there were 181 players accused/involved, of which about 50 were French.

Of course, it's true that France has a huge number of players so you'd expect there to be more on an asbolute level. But this must be a thing between friends, like-minded players....

I remember Brovillé as a youngster, never cared for him, even at the age of 9 he acted as though butter wouldn't melt, it wasn't engaging in a youngster ..... and here we are.....

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Thanks CD - it is a lot of players, I guess we would be naive to think it doesnt happen in the UK also though? The article seems to suggest a lot of the recruiting takes place in this case around tournies down in Marseille, into Italy and up around the northern end of France and then Benelux. And a lot through personal grooming where a theme
Seems to be a) the player is paid decent money to lose a specific game or set by a given score but not the match and b) paid sometimes even if they dont deliver

My take on that is the player doesnt feel theyve done anything wrong if they just throw a point or a game but not the match, they justify it to themselves and they build empathy and
Trust with the gambling ring leader through being paid and given gifts like flights home around it. Its a massive grooming operation that brings the player in.

Quite startling really the scale of it.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes, I guess we would be naive to think we're completely untouched.

However, based on facts, these police investigations concerned over 180 players and this is the list of nationalities I've seen, which doesn't include British players. So bravo to the Brits.

"On dénombre 181 joueurs de tennis impliqués (Allemands, Américains, Belges, Bulgares, Français et Slovaques), dont 7 joueurs de tennis belges (un a été 113e mondial), et une cinquantaine de joueurs Français"

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
Coup Droit wrote:
www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/tennis/french-player-banned-for-life-on-match-fixing-charges/ar-AA1fonDM

Alexis Musialek was a regular opponent for a lot of our lads over the last 10-15 years (he played Jan and Ali Gray last year, in 2022)

He's now been banned for life from all tennis, fined 50k etc etc, because he was found to have contrived the outcome of multiple matches, received money, benefit or consideration for contriving the outcome of these matches, and facilitated other players not to use their best efforts.
The Belgian ring you mention Jon was huge news in March this year. The French papers, obviously, were full of it.
181 actual players. 50 French players. And lots of coaches/extras too.
"Lenquête de police a conclu que le réseau a manipulé au minimum 376 matchs entre février 2014 et juin 2018."
That's a lot of fixed matches
Separately (well, not seperately but by the ITIA) Musialek, Lescure and Okala have all been banned for life for match fixing. Baptiste Crepatte got three years suspension this year. And Sherazad Reix (the only French woman I've seen so far) got 4 years.
And I just noticed yesterday that Max Brovillé is provisionally suspended by the Integrity unit too (almost certainly for match fixing)
That's a lot of French players - I believe the first one was part of the huge Belgian ring busted in 2018, as above, with the Armenian leader going to prison for 5 years, and all the rest being banned and fined. The others were all connected - it was a huge ring - and found as part of the 2019 huge investigation in France. I don't know what's happening to all the others, though - if there were 181 players discovered in the police investigation, why aren't they all banned? Or does the ITIA have to do it their own way and can't rely on the police?
But it's obviously a major problem in France, that's a lot of players, all similar profile...... Indeed, in the civil case that started in March 2023 in Belgium, there were 181 players accused/involved, of which about 50 were French.
Of course, it's true that France has a huge number of players so you'd expect there to be more on an asbolute level. But this must be a thing between friends, like-minded players....
I remember Brovillé as a youngster, never cared for him, even at the age of 9 he acted as though butter wouldn't melt, it wasn't engaging in a youngster ..... and here we are.....

7 Belgian players have been suspended - biggest name is Arthur de Greef and also Maxime authom who played British events quite often

https://www.itia.tennis/news/sanctions/arnaud-graisse-arthur-de-greef-julien-dubail-romain-barbosa-maxime-authom-omar-salman-and-alec-witmeur-sanctioned-under-tennis-anti-corruption-program/

GAMEOVER · Pro player

Reported that Leny Mitjana a French player whose highest singles ranking was 458 in 2018 has been banned for 10 years and fined $20,000 for match fixing in 2017 and 2018. He is banned until 21st December 2033.

Babfive · Pro player

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/68776130

Spanish player Aaron Cortes has been banned for 15 years for match fixing, bribery to get wildcards and other offences.