The Algerian tennis player Aymen Ikhlef was sanctioned by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) after an investigation in which he was found guilty of multiple violations of the corruption program, and, in addition to facing a financial penalty of 100,000 dollars, he will not be able to return to compete professionally, informs the organization in a statement.
The disciplinary case was reviewed by Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Richard McLaren. He found that Ikhlef committed 10 violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program. The sanction, in addition to the high economic figure, means that as of December 11, 2020, the player is permanently prohibited from playing or attending any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the tennis governing bodies.
The Algerian, whose highest position was 1739 in the ATP ranking, was found guilty of fixing matches, asking his rival to win in two cases, failing to report a case of corruption and failing to cooperate in the cause opened by the TIU.
The TIU, which will become a new and independent body from 2021, was created at the initiative of the Grand Slam Board, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP and the WTA to safeguard the integrity of professional tennis around the world.
The same body already sanctioned the Ukrainian Stanislav Poplavskyy for life on December 4, and days before the Spanish tennis player Enrique López Pérez, who was suspended from his professional activity for eight months after being blamed for three cases of fixing.
