The tennis world is embroiled in another corruption scandal after files viewed by the BBC and Buzzfeed News indicated that up to 20 leading names in tennis could be involved in match-fixing.
The files were shown to the two news organizations by Italian prosecutor Roberto DI Martino. Martino is best known as the leading official in the prosecution against Italian players Daniele Bracciali and Potito Starace. In August the Italian Federation banned the two players for life for match-fixing. The Italian authorities were originally investigating corruption in football before embarking on a series of Skype conversations allegedly between the players and a professional gambler. One of the conversations between Braccaili and Manlio Bruni, the leading man behind the betting ring, was leaked to the public.
Bruni: Tell me about numbers if you can.
Bracciali: Usually they offer us 50, then it depends. Anyway tomorrow I prefer to play it; maybe next time we can talk about it.
Bruni: Look, I could do 50 for tomorrow as a trial, but it is crucial that you win the first set. If not, another time is fine if I know it in advance and we can give more.
Bracciali: It`s important that I know my opponent so that I can talk to him before the match. Because even telling you that I will win the first set is not so easy since I could lose it.
The alleged conversation is said to have occurred in 2007 shortly before Bracciali’s match at the Newport Open. The Italian lost in the first round in Newport (6-2, 6-1) to world No.367 Scoville Jenkins.
Broccoli and Starace, who was also briefly suspended in 2008 for betting on matches, had their life bans lifted in October 2015 by the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) following an appeal. Starace was cleared entirely and Bracciali’s ban was reduced to one year.
Despite being cleared by the authorities, Martino has told BBC news that he has ‘concrete evidence’ of Starace breaking corruption rules at two matches at the Barcelona Open (2009 and 2011). In 2011 the Italian retired during his first round match against Daniel Gimeno-Traver, trailing 6-4, 1-6, 0-2. Meanwhile, In 2009 he defeated Ernests Gulbis and Robin Soderling before losing to David Ferrer in the third round.
Martino’s investigation doesn’t just stop with the two Italian players. He has said that two dozen names of non-Italian tennis players have been discovered in files seized from illegal gamblers. Martino said that two of the group were former top-20 players. He then took a jibe at the Tennis integrity Unit (ITU) for not investigating this matter.
“Surely if these foreign players were Italian, they would certainly have been at least questioned,” Di Martino said.
“They should have provided some explanations.”
The names have not been released to the public, however, both the BBC and Buzzfeed News have claimed to have viewed the list. Two players mentioned in the conversations between the gamblers were labelled as ‘horses’. A horse is a term used to describe something which is in full control of the bettors.
Martino has spoken with the TIU during his investigation into Italian match-fixing. He said that the TIU expressed little interest in the potential international aspect of Martino’s investigation.
“I do not understand why there was no real initiative by the integrity unit to establish if there was something dirty behind this.” The Italian said.
This is the second time within three months that a major investigation has exposed potential match-fixing. On the eve of this year’s Australian Open, another investigation by the BBC and Buzzfeed News alleged numerous cases of corruption. The extensive report questioned the TIU’s handling of corruption in the sport and said that eight ‘suspicious’ players participated in the first Grand Slam of the year.
The latest investigation can be read in full here.
