Tennis: lock for bets

The “Tennis Integrity Unit” control authority has blocked a tennis line judge based on betting placements. The French referee David Rocher is accused of placing eleven bets on tennis games last year from January to October. According to the official information from the regulatory authority, the impartial has violated the defined betting rules of the “Tennis Anti-Corruption Programs (TACP)” with its behavior. The lock provides that Rocher has to resign for 18 months (with an interruption of four months).

The lock applies until February 6, 2023

The judgment of the “Tennis Integrity Unit (Tiu)” was issued on December 6, 2020 and immediately came into force. As a result, David Rocher is not allowed until February 6, 2023 to exercise his office as a line judge in official tennis events or even to take part in tournaments, games or other tennis events as a private person. Was responsible for the case law Ian Mill, Commissioner for Corruption Control Within the Tiu, the Rocher due to illegal betting placements and uncooperative cooperation for a total of 18 months. In addition to the pronounced lock, the former tennis line judge must also pay a fine of $ 5,000, but 4,000 were enacted to him as part of the examination.

Who is the “Tennis Integrity Unit”? The Tiu was founded on the initiative of the Grand Slam Board, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP and the WTA. As a regulatory and control body, the task of the TIU is to promote, improve and, above all, protect the integrity of professional tennis worldwide. From January 2021, the organization will be converted into a new, even more independent facility and from now on the name “International Tennis Integrity Agency” will be called.

Violation of betting ban

The “Tennis Integrity Unit” on its homepage indicated which applicable guidelines are said to have violated David Rocher within the anti -corruption program. It is forbidden to have a leading or responsible role in tennis events of all kinds, to bet directly or indirectly to the result or other aspects of the corresponding event. At the same time, during the investigation of the TIU, it is mandatory to Cooperative attitude To take up and to show productive cooperation. This applies even if a legal assistance is claimed. In this case, as a data subject, David Rocher was personally responsible to participate in the investigation without restriction.

According to the TIU, the ex-tennis line judge has now given the violation of the betting ban. However, Rocher did not leave the accusation of not entirely contributing to investigating and clarifying the case. How much Truth behind the accusations In this area, has not yet been fully clarified. According to the official guidelines, it says:

“In the course of an investigation, the behavior of a accused person is considered non -cooperative if this suggests no unrestricted cooperation. This also applies if the legal advisor of the respective person is decisive. ”– Official guidelines, Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), Press release on the official website of the TIU

No isolated case

The latest violation of the ban on betting in professional tennis shows that sport is a big problem with illegal Sports betting has in your own ranks. With his offense, David Rocher only forms the tip of the iceberg. According to the TIU, in the past two years Five more referees convictedbecause they have deliberately violated the betting ban. In these cases, too, the control authority intervened hard and pulled the people concerned out of circulation for a long period of time.

A particularly drastic incident occurred in 2017, which only became the focus of the public in 2018. Three Tennis referee from Thailand Was blocked for lifetime for demonstrable play manipulation and illegal bets. According to an official statement of the TIU, the former “impartial” Anucha Tongplew, Apisit Promchai and Chitchai Srililai For betting -related purposes and personal profit have given incorrectly.

Worrying development? At the moment it does not seem as if professional tennis would get the problem with game manipulations and illegal bets under control in the near future. This year, too, the violations of the applicable guidelines do not tore off. In the first three months of 2020 alone, the TIU received a total of 38 manipulation warnings related to tennis games. A comparison with the 1st quarter of 2019 shows an alarming development. At that time, only 21 cases were registered with the control organization. This corresponds to a significant increase.