The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned Tunisian player Anis Ghorbel for three years for corruption in connection with the wider match-fixing case in Belgium.

Ghorbel was found guilty of four violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). The ITIA said this warranted the suspension and a fine of $20,000 (£15,743/€18,365).

The suspension runs from the date of the decision (January 4) until January 3, 2027.

The offenses relate to the manipulation of matches in 2016 and 2017. Ghorbel, who achieved the highest ranking of his career in 2016 with 479th place in the world singles rankings, denies all allegations.

Specific violations of the TACP include two related to Section D.2.ai – failure to report a corrupt practice. The ITIA also found a single breach of Section D.1.b, which facilitated betting on the outcome of a match, and Section D.1.d, which concerns the shaping of the outcome or aspect of a match.

The ban means Ghorbel will not be allowed to attend, train or take part in tennis events sanctioned by ITIA members or national associations.

Accusations of match-fixing in tennis are increasing

Ghorbel is the latest tennis player to be sanctioned in criminal proceedings against a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium. Cooperation between the ITIA and the Belgian authorities resulted in a five-year prison sentence for the syndicate leader Grigor Sargsyan.

The crackdown began after Sargsyan’s conviction in November. According to iGB, 16 players were initially banned in November 2023, first on November 13th, then on November 17th and November 24th.

Other current charges include the charge against French tennis player Leny Mitjana. He was banned for ten years after being found guilty of corruption and match-fixing.

In total, the ITIA has suspended 22 players and officials in the same case in the last three months.