The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed that a tennis referee has been suspended because of fraud and match manipulation.
Francesco Totaro, a national-level referee from Italy, was given a provisional suspension pending full analysis of alleged game manipulation.
According to the ITIA, Totaro’s suspension was granted under section F.3 of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program 2022. This allows the organization to impose a provisional suspension before a serious crime notice has been issued or a hearing has been held. has been summoned.
It can also do so at any time after a hearing, but before a written decision from an anti-corruption hearing officer (AHO) is issued.
As a result of his suspension, Totaro is banned from performing or attending any tennis event authorized by an international governing body or national association “until the full disciplinary process is completed,” the ITIA said.
The organization added: “ITIA is an independent body established by the International Tennis Government Bodies to promote, encourage, improve and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis throughout the world.”
Totaro’s suspension follows the issuance of lengthy bans on three Tunisian referees earlier this week. Majd Affi, Mohamed Ghassen Snene and Abderahim Gharsallah received lengthy embargoes for manipulating scores.
Majd Affi was banned for 20 years, while Snene and Gharsallah each received a shorter ban of seven years. Each ban was retroactive to the start of its provisional suspension on November 6, 2020.
And in other ITIA news, the organization established a Tennis Integrity Task Force with the Egyptian Tennis Federation last month, and since then has been reporting possible instances of fraud in official matches and taking reasonable steps to ensure the integrity of the tennis. sport and sports betting.
