Five low-ranking tennis players have been found guilty of match-fixing including a Mexican who committed 92 offences, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Thursday.
The sanctions were linked to a Belgian criminal case that ended in the Grigor Sargsyan, the leader of an international match-fixing gang, receiving a five-year prison sentence.
The ITIA press release identified Mexican Alberto Rojas-Maldonado, who reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 992 in 2015, as playing a “pivotal role in the corruption of other players.”
Rojas-Maldonado was found guilty of 92 offences, the second most in ITIA history after Moroccan Younes Rachidi was convicted of 135 in February.
Rojas-Maldonado was banned for life and received the maximum fine of $250,000.
He, like the other convicted players, spent most of his modest career on the third-tier Futures Tour.
Guatemalan Christopher Diaz, who reached an ATP career-high ranking of 326 in 2011 and has already received a three-year suspension, was found guilty of 13 breaches and banned for life as well as fined $75,000.
Mexican Jose Antonio Rodriguez, who reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 1367 in 2017, was found to have committed eight breaches and of acting in concert with Rojas-Maldonado for financial gain.
Rodriguez was suspended until 29 September 2035.
Mexican Antonio Ruiz-Rosales, who reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 652 in 2008, has been suspended for 10 years and fined $30,000.
Mexican Orlando Alcantara Rangel, who reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 1735 in 2015, has been suspended for two years and fined $10,000 for two offences.
World Cup News
-
FIFA World Cup
/ 4 weeks agoSaudi oil giant Aramco agrees major FIFA sponsorship deal
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco and world football governing body FIFA on Thursday...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 months agoSon scores but Thailand hold South Korea in World Cup qualifier
Son Heung-min scored but South Korea were held 1-1 at home by Thailand in...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 months agoJapan-N. Korea World Cup game to stay in Pyongyang, JFA says
Japan’s World Cup qualifier against North Korea will be played in Pyongyang as planned...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 3 months agoGerman ex-FA bosses on trial over World Cup tax evasion
Three German ex-top football officials went on trial on Monday in a 13.7-million-euro ($14.8...
By AFP