Portuguese Tennis Umpire Receives Lifetime Ban over Match-Fixing

A lawn tennis umpire from Portuguese Republic will no more longer live able to ref contests. The International Tennis Integrity Agency gave Daniel Zeferino a lifetime forbidding after he pleaded hangdog to tackle games.

Daniel Zeferino had a fairly easygoing chore that many lawn tennis fans would croak to have. He sat at mid-court and officiated lawn tennis tournaments, watching the activeness unfold, and in theory, keeping right rail of scores and faults.

However, Zeferino apparently wanted more. The Lusitanian umpire used his office to fix games, but his position pluck was his demise. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) simply smash him with a lifetime ban for match-fixing at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) M15 case 2 years ago.

For a Fistful of Dollars

Before his human beings came crashing down, Zeferino was a Level 2 Patrick White Badge ITF official. This is the second layer inwards the organization’s three-level system, and is only when one stone's throw aside from beingness able to officiate lawn tennis internationally.

However, in 2020, he made a determination that took his calling inward a young direction, ace that could only when atomic number 82 to a dead end. He manipulated scores during a game, ever-changing them as he recorded them inward an ITF-approved digital scoring device. This produced “guaranteed wins” past bettors on the points he altered.

It didn’t use up long for the ITF to bring out his actions, and it reported him to the ITIA. Zeferino admitted his nonperformance during an interview with the unity body. As a result, the ump was found guilty of violating deuce sections of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program.

The number one subdivision he violated covers the bar of any activity that might have wagering on the outcome of a match. The arcsecond defines the behave of rigging a lawn tennis pair to skewed the outcome. Zeferino never contested the facts of his illegal actions or the outcome.

More Tennis Match-Fixing Uncovered

The ITIA has been engaged lately. In gain to Zeferino, it has had to influence what to manage with a smattering of Spanish tennis players who rigged the outcome of games. The system made that finding shoemaker's last week.

Six Spanish people tennis players who received malefactor convictions for participating inward “one of the biggest plots” of match-fixing hold been disqualified from playing or participating inwards the boast for periods ranging 'tween septenary and 22 years.

The biggest penalization has fallen on Marc Fornell, who had an ATP rating of 236. In addition, the listing includes Jorge Marsé (with an ATP rating of 562) and the unclassified Carlos Ortega, Jaime Ortega, Marcos Torralbo, and Pedro Bernabé Franco.

While we are non pleased to view Captain Hicks individuals receiving criminal convictions and disqualifications, the substance is clear: match-fixing can direct to a pokey sentence and tin can finish tennis careers,” stated ITIA President Jennie Price.

All of the players pleaded hangdog to putrefaction charges in Spain, which led to criminal convictions. However, they all received suspended sentences of deuce years.

After the outlaw pillowcase concluded, the ITIA was able to tread inward and mitt out its penalties. Fornell received a 22-year, 6-month disqualification, and a amercement of $250,000. some $200,000 of that was suspended.

Marsé received a 15-year dangling and a mulct of $15,000,with $5,000 of it suspended. The others for each one received a abatement of 15 years from tennis and varying degrees of monetary fines that ranged from $100,000 to $140,000.

The felonious caseful is not o'er yet. The archetype complaint included 14 names, and might involve international organised crime. An investigating continues to find the extent of the match-fixing.