Five French players have received bans ranging from two years to life after they were found guilty of match-fixing, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said on Friday.
Yannick Thivant, Thomas Brechemier, Gabriel Petit, Thomas Setodji and Hugo Daubias are the players sanctioned, with the punishments linked to a criminal case heard in 2023 involving a match-fixing group in Belgium, the ITIA said.
“Collaboration between the ITIA and Belgian authorities led to a five-year custodial sentence for the leader of the syndicate, Grigor Sargsyan,” the ITIA said in a media release.
“Four of the cases were ruled on by an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO), with the fifth resolved directly between the player and the ITIA.”
Thivant was issued a lifetime ban and fined $75,000 in addition to 37,400 euros ($41,083.90) in restitution after the 38-year-old admitted to fixing 22 matches between 2017 and 2018, with the sanction taking effect on February 14.
Setodji, 29, has been suspended for 10 years and fined $20,000, in addition to 5,500 euros ($6,041.75) restitution, “after being found liable for fixing three matches in 2017 and failing to report a corrupt approach in 2018.”
Brechemier was handed a seven years and six months suspension plus fined $40,000, of which $27,500 is suspended, after admitting to fixing 11 matches between 2017 and 2018.
Petit was issued a six years and six months suspension and fined $35,000 after he failed to respond to the ITIA’s charges. Daubias has been suspended for two years and fined $15,000.
Brechemier was the highest ranked player between the five with a career-high singles ranking of 399.
The ITIA said the five players are prohibited from playing, coaching or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA or any national association during their suspensions.
($1 = 0.9103 euros)
($1 = 0.9103 euros)
