The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced this Monday the lifetime suspension of Venezuelan umpire Armando Belardi due to 26 violations of the anti-corruption code.
Belardi, who performed in national tournaments, had previously been sentenced to a 30-month suspension for failing to cooperate in an investigation. When accused again by the ITIA, this time of 26 violations of the anti-corruption code, the Venezuelan did not appeal, therefore admitting his responsibility for the acts. In addition to the lifetime suspension, Belardi must pay a fine of $75,000.
The referee was accused of facilitating bets, intervening in the outcome of matches and soliciting money or benefiting from negatively influencing a tennis player.
The suspension is effective from May 7, 2024 and Belardi will be prohibited from attending any event organized by members of the ITIA, that is, the Grand Slams federations, the ATP, ITF, WTA and any national association.
The antecedent
The previous suspension of more than two years dated back to 2020 and was due, according to the ITIA, to having “not reported two situations in 2018 in which he was asked to engage in a corrupt scheme to manipulate match results.” entered on your PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) device”. That artifact informs the alternatives of the live match and is vital for betting. “Not disclosing these situations constitutes a crime of corruption,” he concluded.
On that occasion, Balerdi had alleged: “My sin was not informing, I stayed silent out of fear.”
2024-05-20 22:00:12
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