ATP President Chris Kermode "has rejected allegations of match-fixing in tennis being ignored by officials after an investigation into corruption within the sport was released on the same day as the first Grand Slam of the year began, with the Australian Open overshadowed by claims of a betting scandal," according to Jack de Menezes of the London INDEPENDENT. An investigation carried out by the BBC and Buzzfeed "was made public on Sunday night, with allegations that a core group of 16 players have repeatedly been brought to the attention of tennis officials over a suspicion of fixing matches throughout the last 10 years." The investigation alleges that "tennis chiefs were alerted to the corruption in 2007." However, "no action was taken." Kermode held a press conference at Melbourne Park in "which he denied any claims of a cover-up or that the ATP failed to take the relevant action."
Kermode said, "The Tennis Integrity Unit and the tennis authorities absolutely reject any suggestion that evidence of match-fixing has been suppressed for any reason or isn't being thoroughly investigated. And while the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information, and we always do." It is claimed that one current top-50 player "repeatedly loses his first set on purpose," although Nigel Willerton, the Tennis Integrity Unit’s director, was unable to confirm if any current Australian Open players were under investigation.
Willerton said,
"It would be inappropriate for me to make comment as to whether any players are under investigation at the present time" (INDEPENDENT, 1/18). In London, Barry Flatman wrote Kermode was joined by ATP Head Legal Counsel Mark Young and Willerton, "the former Flying Squad officer who heads the tennis integrity unit."
The message "was clear." Tennis has invested more than $14M "to address the threat of corruption since the tennis integrity unit (TIU) was set up in 2008 after the investigation into widespread and serious betting allegations connected to the Nikolay Davydenko-Martin Vassallo Arguello match in Sopot, Poland." Kermode said, "All of us here in tennis are absolutely committed to stamp out any form of corrupt conduct in our sport. There is a zero tolerance policy on this. We are constantly vigilant and not complacent" (LONDON TIMES, 1/18).
MONEY TRAIL: In Sydney, Chip Le Grand wrote the sports administrator who led Australian and int'l cricket through damaging betting scandals "has warned of the vulnerability of tennis to match-fixing and urged the Turnbull government to legalise and regulate a contentious form of online gambling to better protect against corruption." Former ICC CEO Malcolm Speed said sports like tennis must be able to "follow the money trail" to protect the integrity of their matches. Speed, exec director of an industry group representing tennis, the football codes, cricket and other professional sports, said although the Australian government had no influence over the large European-based betting and organized crime syndicates that target tennis, it could reduce the appeal of illegal, offshore bookmakers to Australian punters by legalizing "in-play" betting. In-play betting "is at the center of a government-commissioned review into gambling led by former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell." Victoria Police detectives "questioned local tennis figures last week about which matches could be fixed at the Open."
It said "an Australian professional who has been ranked in the top 70 had told his coach he was approached weekly by crime figures asking him to throw matches" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 1/19).
GUESSING GAME: In Melbourne, Linda Pearce wrote while Kermode kept stressing that in its investigations, the TIU has to find "evidence as opposed to information, suspicion, or hearsay," one did not need to have read all 9,000 online words to be left with the impression that something is on the nose. The fact that substantial new information appeared to be slightly lacking, and names certainly were, "does not mean there will not be a stain left on the game."
On the players, "for starters." Eight of the great unnamed "are apparently playing" this fortnight. So "take a guess." Any guess. A core group of 16 "is under the most suspicion." The question of whether there "are sufficient resources allocated to driving match-fixers from the game is one worth asking, given that the Tennis Integrity Unit has a full-time staff of just five and relies so heavily on information from players and betting companies." Officials insist that "whatever help has been requested has been forthcoming, but this is a wealthy international sport, and whatever is needed must be spent on catching those who fall prey to the gambling syndicates and are tempted to transgress." One suspects that, in the future, "a few more dollars will be found" (THE AGE, 1/19).
'CRAZY DANI': In a separate piece, Flatman wrote Daniel Köllerer -- "once regarded as the most unpopular player on the ATP World Tour -- has emerged as one of the main sources for the controversial match-fixing allegations sweeping tennis."
As the leaders of the tennis world "take stock of the serious accusations directed at the sport by BuzzFeed and the BBC, they are taking stock of some of the people who offered information to help compile the report." The "infamous name at the top of the list is Köllerer."
Now aged 32, the Austrian "was banned from tennis for life due to charges of match-fixing which were investigated and prosecuted by the Tennis Integrity Unit" in '11. His ban "was later upheld after an appeal to the Court of Arbitation for Sport."
Nicknamed "Crazy Dani," he once called a Brazilian opponent a "monkey" and told him to return to the jungle. He also "spat in his hand before offering another opponent a handshake, causing a locker room fight, and provoked his Austrian countryman Stefan Koubek so much on court that he was grabbed by the throat." Koubek said, "All the players hate him" (LONDON TIMES, 1/18).
FEDERER WANTS NAMES: In London, Neil McLeman wrote Roger Federer "called for players guilty of match-fixing to be named and shamed after the first day of the Australian Open was overshadowed by claims of large-scale corruption."
In the BuzzFeed News report "no individuals were identified."Federer said, "It's like who, what? It's like thrown around. It's so easy to do that. I would like to hear the name. I would love to hear names. Then at least it's concrete stuff and you can actually debate about it. Was it the player? Was it the support team? Who was it? Was it before? Was it a doubles player, a singles player? Which slam? It's so all over the place. It's nonsense to answer something that is pure speculation" (DAILY MIRROR, 1/18). In Melbourne, Daniel Cherny wrote Federer "highlighted the gravity of the potential consequences." Federer said,
"Like I said, it's super serious and it's super important to maintain the integrity of our sport. So how high up does it go? The higher it goes, the more surprised I would be, no doubt about it. Not about people being approached, but just people doing it in general. I just think there's no place at all for these kind of behaviors and things in our sport. I have no sympathy for those people" (THE AGE, 1/18). REUTERS' Greg Stutchbury wrote the media reports, which follow corruption scandals in world football and athletics, "created a stir at the event at Melbourne Park, with players expressing surprise at the allegations." Women's world No. 1 Serena Williams said, "When I'm playing, I can only answer for me, I play very hard, and every player I play seems to play hard. If that's going on, I don't know about it."
Men's world No. 7 Kei Nishikori of Japan said that "he had not heard of any incidence of match-fixing" (REUTERS, 1/18). In Melbourne, Leo Schlink wrote former world No. 1 John Newcombe "urged tennis authorities to take a zero tolerance approach with corruption amid claims eight allegedly crooked players are contesting the Australian Open." Newcombe said that "players who deliberately lose matches to help gangster syndicates win money should be thrown out of the sport." He said, "They should be put of the game for life. It’s like a cancer. If you don’t stop it, it’s going to grow" (HERALD SUN, 1/18).
DJOKOVIC APPROACHED: In London, Simon Briggs wrote Novak Djokovic admitted that in his younger days he turned down an approach to throw a match at the St. Petersburg tournament "for the hefty sum" of £100,000 ($142,400). He said, "Of course we threw it right away. It made me feel terrible." Djokovic described the BBC/Buzzfeed story as "just speculation," adding that, "People are talking about names, guessing who these players are, guessing those names. But there's no real proof or evidence yet of any active players, for that matter." Asked how he had responded to the situation, Djokovic added, "It made me feel terrible because I don't want to be anyhow linked to this kind of ... you know, somebody may call it an opportunity. For me, that's an act of unsportsmanship, a crime in sport honestly. I don't support it. I think there is no room for it in any sport, especially in tennis" (TELEGRAPH, 1/18). REUTERS' Nick Mulvenney wrote Djokovic "was also asked about the propriety of betting companies being sponsors of major tennis tournaments, even if there had never been allegations that such companies were involved in any wrongdoing."
William Hill became the first "official wagering partner" of the Australian Open last year, and this year advertisements for the British bookmaker adorned the three main showcourts at Melbourne Park for the first time.
Critics, who say the relationship sends out the wrong message, have called on Tennis Australia to end it, and Djokovic said that "there should at least be a debate." He said,
"Well, this is a subject for discussion, I think, today and in the future. It's a fine line. Honestly it's on a borderline, I would say" (REUTERS, 1/18).
