The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has imposed penalties on two tennis players for their involvement in corruption linked to a syndicate in Belgium. Alejandro Mendoza Crespo has been permanently banned from tennis due to 20 offences, while Jorge Panta Herreros has been suspended for three years for four infringements.
These determinations were made by independent anti-corruption hearing officer Professor Richard McLaren following a formal hearing in early March. The effective date of the suspensions is from 4 April onwards. In addition to the bans, Mendoza and Panta have been fined £250,000 and £10,000 respectively. As a result, they are prohibited from playing, coaching, or attending any event sanctioned by ITIA members, which includes the ATP and WTA.
The ITIA has attributed the suspensions of Mendoza and Panta to the recent criminal case in Belgium, which involved the sentencing of match-fixing syndicate leader Grigor Sargsyan to a five-year custodial sentence. Subsequently, seven other players were banned in November for varying lengths of time for violating the ITIA’s Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). Alec Witmeur, Arnaud Graisse, Arthur de Greef, Julien Dubail, Romain Barbosa, Maxime Authom, and Omar Salman were among those suspended.
Earlier this year, French player Leny Mitjana was handed a 10-year suspension for corruption related to the Belgium case, while Anis Ghorbel was banned for three years for match-fixing. The bans issued to Mendoza and Panta bring the total to 24 players and officials who have been banned in connection to the Belgium case.
In April, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) published its ‘Integrity Report’ for Q1 of this year, revealing a total of 56 alerts, which marks a 12% increase from Q1 2023. This figure also represents a 64.7% rise from the final quarter of 2023. Out of these alerts, 14 were related to tennis, showing an increase from the 12 notifications during the same quarter of the previous year.
The ITIA’s initiatives demonstrate the sport’s commitment to maintaining integrity and combating corruption. It is essential for tennis to uphold high ethical standards, and the penalties and sanctions imposed on players and officials are indicative of the authorities’ resolve to deter any wrongdoing within the sport. The cooperation between governing bodies, law enforcement agencies, and sports integrity organizations is crucial in upholding the integrity of tennis and preserving the reputation of the sport.