THE BBC AND BUZZFEED TALK TO A WHISTLEBLOWER THAT SAID
THERE COULD BE AN ISSUE WITH MATCH FIXING IN TENNIS.
"OVER THE LAST DECADE, SIXTEEN PLAYERS WHO HAVE RANKED IN THE
TOP FIFTY HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY FLAGGED TO THE TENNIS INTEGRITY
UNIT OVER SUSPICIONS THAT THEY
HAVE THROWN MATCHES."
THE BIG ISSUE WITH THIS STORY IS THAT THE TIU THAT THIS STORY,
AND DID NOT DO FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT
THIS MATCH FIXING WAS NOT
HAPPENING.
ESSENTIALLY THERE ARE THESE BIG GAMBLERS THAT ARE ALLEGEDLY
PAYING UP TO $50,000
TO TENNIS PLAYERS TO BASICALLY THROW OFF THE MATCH.
I'M DEDICATED $50,000,
AND I WANT YOU TO PURPOSEFULLY LOSE THE MATCH.
OKAY?
AND SO, BUZZFEED AND BBC DID NOT RELEASE NAMES OF SPECIFIC
PEOPLE, BUT THEY DO HAVE SOME PRETTY DAMNING EVIDENCE,
AND SOME DAMNING FILES AND DOCUMENTS THAT INDICATE
THAT THIS IS GOING ON.
"ALL OF THE PLAYERS, INCLUDING WINNERS OF THE GLAND ñ WINNERS
OF GRAND SLAM TITLES, WERE
ALLOWED TO CONTINUE COMPETING."
SO EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS HARD-CORE EVIDENCE AGAINST
THE PEOPLE, THIS ENTITY DID NOT ACTUALLY GO AFTER THEM AND
DO FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS.
"THE DOCUMENTS WE HAVE OBTAINED TO SHOW THE INQUIRY FOUND
BETTING SYNDICATES IN RUSSIA, NORTHERN ITALY AND SICILY
MAKING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF POUNDS BETTING ON MATCHES
INVESTIGATORS THOUGHT TO BE FIXED.
3 OF THESE MATCHES WET WIMBLEDON.
ANY CONFIDENTIAL REPORT FOR THE TENNIS AUTHORITIES IN 2008,
THE INQUIRY TEAM SAID TWENTY-EIGHT PLAYERS
INVOLVED IN THESE MATCHES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED, BUT THE
FINDINGS WERE NEVER FOLLOWED UP.
TENNIS INTRODUCED A NEW ANTICORRUPTION CODE IN 2009, BUT
AFTER TAKING LEGAL ADVICE WERE TOLD PREVIOUS CORRUPTION
OFFENSES COULD NOT BE PURSUED."
I THINK THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING.
YOU SAID $50,000,
SO, FOR MAYBE A LOW-LEVEL TENNIS PLAYER THAT IS A LOT OF
MONEY, AND THAT IT MAY BE WORTH I GUESS THROWING YOUR CAREER 4.
BUT FOR SOME OF THE TOP PLAYERS, PEOPLE THAT WERE APPROACHED,
ESPN SAID NOVAK DJOKOVIC WAS APPROACHED TO THROW ONE OF HIS
GAMES FOR $2000 ñ $200,000.
THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY, BUT THIS GUY IS WITH MILLIONS.
WHY ARE PEOPLE POTENTIALLY RUINING THEIR ENTIRE
CAREERS FOR SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT?
COMPARED TO THE BIG PICTURE.
I STARTED TALKING TO SOME OF THE TYT SPORTS GUYS, AND THEY THINK
MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE TENNIS IS KNOWN AS A GENTLEMAN'S GAME, AND
IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THIS PRESTIGIOUS THING WHERE THERE IS
NO FUNNY BUSINESS, AND SO THAT
IS WHY THEY DID NOT INVESTIGATE IT FURTHER IN 2008.
I WONDER IF IT IS BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT THAT
NEGATIVE MEDIA ATTENTION.
CLEARLY THERE IS AN EMBARRASSMENT SITUATION IS
HAPPENING.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, TENNIS, AND MAYBE GOLF, OUR SPORTS
WHERE THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PLAUSIBLE
DENIABILITY THAT YOU CAN HAVE IF YOU ARE, YOU KNOW, CORRUPT,
OR ARE GOING TO FIX OR THROW THE GAME, BECAUSE IT IS VERY MUCH
ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL, AND NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT THE TEAM.
IF YOU ARE PLAYING TENNIS, IT IS VERY EASY TO SHOW THAT YOU MADE
A STUMBLE, OR A MISTAKE, AND
EXPLAIN IT AWAY.
I THINK MAYBE THAT IS WHY PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO TAKE THIS
RISK, BECAUSE YOU CAN HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF, WELL
I JUST STUMBLED, AND IT LOOKS VERY CONVINCING.
AND ALSO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT THE TOP PLAYERS, THEY
ACTUALLY DON'T MAKE THAT MUCH
MONEY, SO MAYBE A PAYOUT LIKE $50,000 WOULD BE A LOT FOR THEM.
BUT FOR THE TOP PLAYERS, IT STILL SEEMS KIND OF CRAZY.
IT DOES SEEM COUNTERINTUITIVE.
IF WE'RE TALKING 25 MILLION, MAYBE IT MAKES MORE SENSE.
MAYBE IT IS EASIER TO THROW A MATCH WITH THOUGH I'M
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE INCENTIVE IS.
YOU HAVE TO DO A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS IF YOU ARE A
PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE OF ANY SORT, BECAUSE YOU ARE
RIGHT, YOU ARE THROWING YOUR CAREER AWAY.
SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHETHER THERE ARE OTHER INSTANCES
INVOLVED, MAYBE THERE ARE OTHER
FACTORS INVOLVED.
MAYBE THEY ARE OVER THE TENNIS THING, MAYBE THE THEATER
CAREER DWINDLING, SO THEY DECIDE TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS.
OR MAYBE THEY DON'T THINK THEY ARE GOING TO GET CAUGHT.
IN TENNIS YOU ARE BARELY ALLOWED TO CLAP LOUDLY, THIS IS A PRETTY
BIG CLAP.
THE LADY THINK THAT TENNIS IS NOT GOING TO MAKE A BIG
DEAL OUT OF THIS.
I'LL LOSE, I'LL MAKE A COMEBACK, I'LL GET AN EXTRA $50,000.
MARK PHILLIPS, A BET INVESTIGATOR RELEASED A
STATEMENT, SAYING
"THE
EVIDENCE IS REALLY STRONG.
THERE APPEARED TO BE A REALLY GOOD CHANCE TO GET IT IN THE BUD
AND GET A STRONG DETERRENT OUT THERE TO ROOT OUT THE MAIN BAD
APPLES."
UNFORTUNATELY THAT IS
NOT WHAT HAPPENED.
THAT VERY MUCH EXPLAINS THAT NO ONE IS WILLING TO GO INTO IT.
SO WHY NOT THROW A GAME?
THE CHANCES OF YOU GETTING CAUGHT ARE SO MINIMAL.
THEY SAID THAT PEOPLE WERE APPROACHING THEM IN A HOTEL
ROOMS BEFORE THE MATCH, SO MAYBE THERE ISN'T A TRACEABLE WAY
TO SEE IN SOME OF THESE CASES.
THE OFFICIALS BEHIND TENNIS HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACCESS
THESE RECORDS, SHOULD THEY CHOOSE TO INVESTIGATE, BUT
IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN INVESTIGATING.
WHENEVER THERE IS MONEY INVOLVED, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO
WERE EASILY GET CORRUPTED.
IT IS UP TO THOSE WHO DO OVERSIGHT, WHO ARE DOING
THE INVESTIGATIONS, TO DO THEIR JOBS, AND THEY DID NOT DO
THEIR JOBS ACCORDING TO HIS EXPOS…
BY BBC AND BUZZFEED.
WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS A VIRUS THAT
MIGHT IMPACT THE TENNIS WORLD.
IT MIGHT BE THE PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUG OF TENNIS, IF YOU
KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
IT DOES SOUND LIKE IT IS MORE WIDESPREAD THAN JUST A
COUPLE OF BAD APPLES, ESPECIALLY IF WE ARE ALL SITTING HERE
WONDERING WHAT THE MOTIVATION IS.
THEN THERE CLEARLY ARE SOME ñ
A BUNCH OF OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE HAPPENING BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS THAT WE ARE NOT PRIVY TO, AND THAT MAKES ME THINK THAT
IT IS A LOT MORE RAMPANT THAN IT IS EVEN BEING SHOWN IT NOW.