Two French players have been banned for life from tennis after an investigation into match-fixing allegations dating back to 2014.
Match-fixing is a major problem in the world of tennis, as lower-ranked players often get attracted by a large paycheque in return for a lost match. However, the organizations and agencies responsible for preventing such actions are doing their best to catch and ban these athletes.
Most recently, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned two French tennis players. The 29-year Mick Lescure was once world number 487 on the ATP Tour during his peak, but he opted to earn some money on the side by fixing some matches.
He was found guilty of eight separate offenses and fined $40,000. On the other hand, the 25-year-old Jules Okala was found guilty of seven separate offenses and fined $15,000.
Okala's career-high in the ATP Rankings was no. 388 as both of these players struggled to break through in a major way. Both men have been banned for life from the sport after the investigation. The ITIA released a statement on the matter:
"The cases were ruled on by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Charles Hollander KC and the sanctions mean that both players are permanently prohibited from playing in or attending any tennis event sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis."
Detailing further the offences for each player, ITIA disclosed that Okala was found guilty of three breaches of section D.2.a.i of the 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018 TACPs, two breaches of section D.1.d of the 2017 TACP, and two more breaches of section D.1.d of the 2017 TACP, which, in short, state, that players should not influence the result of the match, or not try to win it.
Similarly, Lescure was found guilty of seven breaches of section D.1.d of the 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 TACPs and two breaches of section D.1.e of the TACP from 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 TACPs.
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