The International Tennis Integrity Agency has banned Tennis official Marko Ducman for a period of over 10 years.
This suspension has come in lieu of the Slovenian being found guilty of wagering on matches, in breach of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP), and manipulation of match data.
Ban and sanctions against Ducman
The Slovenian tennis official has been banned for a total of 10 years and six months, effective until March 7th, 2034.
He has admitted to four breaches of TACP, and subsequently cooperated with the ITIA investigation, and accepted an agreed sanction.
Additionally, Ducman waived the right to a hearing before an independent anti-corruption hearing officer.
In lieu of the circumstances, his suspension has been backdated to September 8th, 2023 with a fine of $75,000 and an additional $56,250 which has been suspended until a later date.
Belgian syndicate involvement
The case seems far more alarming when put into context as the suspension of Ducman relates to a Belgian match-fixing syndicate led by Grigor Sargsyan.
Sargsyan has recently been convicted and thus received a five-year custodial sentence.
Described by the Washington Post as “the man who built the biggest match-fixing ring in tennis”, Sargsyan had built a global network that included over 180 professional players from 5 continents.
ITIA’s uncompromised stance
The aftermath of his seizure brought about the ITIA’s decision to ban a further 7 players when they were ruled to have been involved with the same syndicate.
These were added to the already growing list that included 5 players along with Ducman, with Mexican Alberto Rojas Maldonado even receiving a lifetime ban from tennis and an order to pay a fine of $250,000.
He was found guilty of 92 breaches of the TACP and was also charged based on his pivotal role in the corruption of other players.
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