3 Nigerian players suspended, fined for violating match-fixing rules

LONDON (AP) — Three Nigerian tennis players ranked outside the top 1,000 who were linked to a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium were all suspended and each was fined $10,000, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Friday.

Henry Atseye, 35, admitted to six violations of anti-corruption rules from 2017-18, "including facilitating wagering and contriving the outcome of three matches," the ITIA said. His ban is for 2 1/2 years, on top of his fine.

Sylvester Emmanuel, 26, and Christian Paul, 29, did not respond to their charges, which the ITIA said meant they were "effectively accepting liability and acceding to sanctions." They were found liable for six breaches during the same years as Atseye, including "facilitating wagering, contriving the outcome of matches, receipt of money, and failure to report corrupt approaches," according to the ITIA.

Emmanuel and Paul were banned for three years apiece, in addition to their fines.

The trio joins at least 20 others who have been suspended for having links with a syndicate run by Grigor Sargsyan, who was previously given a five-year custodial sentence.

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