Seven Belgian Tennis Players Suspended Following Match-Fixing Investigation

Players admit to corruption, receiving suspensions up to four years 10 months and fines; Investigation wraps up Belgian part of match-fixing syndicate, led by now-jailed Grigor Sargsyan.

• Seven Belgian tennis players have been suspended from the sport due to corruption breaches admitted in connection with a recently concluded match-fixing investigation led by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
• The suspensions stem from the Belgian chapter of a wider criminal case involving a match-fixing syndicate led by Grigor Sargsyan, who has been sentenced to a five-year custodial sentence.
• The players suspended are Arnaud Graisse, Arthur de Greef, Julien Dubail, Romain Barbosa, Maxime Authom, Omar Salman, and Alec Witmeur, all of whom were convicted by the criminal courts and subsequently agreed to sanctions imposed by the ITIA.
• Suspension length varies among the players, ranging from two years, seven months to a maximum of four years, 10 months. Arthur de Greef, who once ranked No. 113 in ATP singles in 2017, faces a suspension of three years, nine months along with a $45,000 fine, $31,500 of which has been suspended.
• This conclusion of ITIA proceedings against Belgian players is part of the larger ongoing investigation into the Sargsyan match-fixing syndicate, which includes players from nations outside of Belgium.

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