The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced the suspension of three officials for their involvement in betting-related corruption. The officials, Luis Rodriguez, Antonio Sosa, and Wellingthon Lopez, faced charges for breaching regulations between 2018 and 2021, which they all denied.
The ITIA reported that the officials had entered false data into match scoring devices to facilitate betting, actions deemed as violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP).
In the case of Luis Rodriguez, he faced charges related to six matches in the Dominican Republic from 2018 to 2020. Following a hearing in December 2024, Rodriguez was found guilty of the breaches. As a result, independent anti-corruption hearing officer Richard Young issued a lifetime ban along with a $15,000 (£11,386/€13,184) fine, which took effect on January 21, 2025. Young emphasized the gravity of Rodriguez’s actions, stating, “As a chair umpire, he was in an important position of trust charged with upholding the integrity of the sport. This was not a one-off occurrence of bad judgment.”
Antonio Sosa contested charges linked to two matches in the Dominican Republic in 2021. However, after a hearing, Young upheld the charges, resulting in a five-year suspension and a fine of $3,000. Importantly, Sosa’s suspension was backdated to October 2022, meaning he will be eligible to officiate again in October 2027.
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Wellingthon Lopez also denied charges associated with two matches in the Dominican Republic during 2019 and 2020. After a hearing in February, Young upheld the charges against him, imposing a four-and-a-half-year suspension and a $1,000 fine. This ban was backdated to October 2021, making him ineligible until April 2026.
These recent sanctions are part of a broader effort by the ITIA to address corruption in the sport. Earlier this month, the agency also announced severe penalties against five players connected to a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium. Yannick Thivant, Thomas Brechemier, Gabriel Petit, Thomas Setodji, and Hugo Daubias have all received bans or suspensions due to corruption offenses committed between 2017 and 2018, which are linked to the high-profile match-fixing syndicate led by Grigor Sargsyan.
