The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed that Sebastián Rivera, a Chilean tennis coach and former player, has been banned from the sport for life after being found guilty of 64 match fixing offences, the highest number ever detected for a player by the ITIA or its predecessor the Tennis Integrity Unit.
The case was ruled on by Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Jane Mulcahy QC and in addition to the ban, Rivera has also been fined $250,000. The sanction means Rivera is permanently prohibited from coaching at, playing in or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis.
The former player who had a highest ATP ranking of 705 and went on to be a coach, failed to engage meaningfully with the disciplinary process.
The breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) that Rivera has been found guilty of are:
Section D.1.b of the 2017 and 2018 TACP: No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or facilitate any other person to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of any Event or any other tennis competition. For the avoidance of doubt, to solicit or facilitate to wager shall include, but not be limited to: display of live tennis betting odds on a Covered Person website; writing articles for a tennis betting publication or website; conducting personal appearances for a tennis betting company; and appearing in commercials encouraging others to bet on tennis.
Section D.1.d of the 2017 and 2018 TACP: No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of any Event.
Section D.1.f of the 2017 and 2018 TACP: No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or accept any money, benefit or Consideration with the intention of negatively influencing a Player's best efforts in any Event.
Section D.1.g of the 2017 and 2018 TACP: No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, offer or provide any money, benefit or Consideration to any other Covered Person with the intention of negatively influencing a Player’s best efforts in any Event.
The ITIA is an independent body established by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis to promote, encourage, enhance and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.
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Published 22 September 2022 17:00
