Tennis Coach Suspended For Offering Payments For Wildcard Entries

| by Alex Waite

Bosnian tennis coach Robert Biletic was given a six-month suspension from tennis and handed a £1,000 fine after breaking Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) rules.

In 2021, Biletic was tournament director at an ITF 25k event and reportedly offered a player wildcard entry into the event in exchange for monetary payment. The player in question reportedly denied to opportunity and immediately reported Biletic to the International Tennis Integrity Agency for investigation (ITIA).

After the issue was raised to the ITIA, Biletic was later suspended on March 2023 as the investigation into his acts took place. Eventually, the Bosnian coach was found to have broken section D.1.k of the 2021 TACP, which outlines the offence of offering money to any possible wildcards to an event, or also receiving money from them.

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"No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, offer, pay or accept any money, benefit or Consideration for the provision of a wildcard to an Event.”

Diana Tesic, an Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO), led the case and she expressed that the sanctions placed on Biletic were appropriate to the rule breaches that he committed. In addition, Biletic's suspension began on the original date when he was provisionally suspended in March 2023. As a result, his suspension will end on September 14, 2023.

However, as part of his six-month ban, Biletic cannot attend, enter or spectate at any tennis event that is led by a leading tennis governing body, such as the ATP, WTA, or ITF. Biletic's suspension follows the recent ban of former ATP world number eight Mark Philippoussis, who was suspended from tennis after receiving payment to promote a betting sponsor.

In addition, the ITIA also banned a Bolivia official for 12 years recently after she was found guilty of breaching more than 30 (TACP) rules across an 11-month period. In Robert Biletic's case, the ban is much shorter.

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