The International Tennis Integrity Agency has confirmed that three Nigerian tennis players Henry Atseye, Sylvester Emmanuel, and Christian Paul have been sanctioned for violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program.
The sanctions stem from a criminal case heard in 2023, which involved a match-fixing syndicate based in Belgium.
This investigation, which saw cooperation between the ITIA and Belgian authorities, led to a five-year prison sentence for the leader of the syndicate, Grigor Sargsyan.
An independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer, Amani Khalifa, reviewed the cases of the three players.
Atseye, 35, who achieved a career-high world singles ranking of 1518 in September 2015, admitted to six breaches of the TACP between 2017 and 2018.
His offenses included collaborating with Karim Hossam, who was banned for life in 2018, to facilitate match-fixing and wagering.
Atseye received a suspension of two years and six months, along with a $10,000 fine. His suspension began on October 14, 2024 and will end on April 13, 2027.
Emmanuel, 26, who peaked at a career-high world singles ranking of 1097 in December 2016, and Paul, 29, whose career-high ranking was 1257 in May 2016, were found liable for six breaches of the TACP, including match manipulation, facilitating wagering, accepting money, and failing to report corrupt approaches.
Both players did not contest the charges, effectively accepting liability and the imposed sanctions.
They were each given a three-year suspension and a $10,000 fine. Their suspensions began on November 6, 2024 and will last until 5 November 2027.
During their suspensions, the three players are prohibited from participating in, coaching, or attending any tennis events authorized by ITIA members, including the ATP, ITF, WTA, and major tennis bodies such as the USTA, Wimbledon and Tennis Australia.
