Mr. Chip & Charge

• Suspicious matches capture headlines during 2007

  2007-12-26 13:01:00
  

  2007 has been a tough year for the sport of tennis. The outstanding champions Roger Federer and Justine Henin have been a great joy to watch, but there has been a lot of media coverage about less amusing things. By now, everyone who follows tennis has probably heard about the suspicious matches where players have allegedly lost on purpose in order to gain money earned from betting. Nikolay Davydenko’s retirement against Martin Vassallo Arguello in Sopot was the match that triggered the media interest, and the match is still under investigation. People with insight in the betting industry seem very certain that this was indeed a fixed match, but you can imagine how difficult it must be to find solid proof. Moreover, Davydenko is the world’s fourth best player, and what a blow it would be for the reputation of the sport if he was found guilty.
  
  Throughout the year, several players have commented on the betting issue and some have told journalists that they have been offered six digit Euro bribes to lose matches. It is understandable that the players have declined to comment further on this to the media, but I really hope that they tell the investigators everything they know, including any info about who approached them and how they did it. The integrity of the sport is in great danger, and this needs to be sorted as soon as possible. The ATP has made some embarrassing tries to give the impression of cleaning up the sport. One of them was by suspending Alessio Di Mauro for nine months after the Italian had placed small-figure wagers with online bookmakers, neither one on his own matches and not trying to influence the outcome in any way. The Italian was clearly a good scapegoat and a way for the ATP officers to seem strong and powerful in their fight against the problem of fixed matches. In reality, this made them look like clowns and further questions the confidence in the ATP as a well-functioning organization making the right decisions.
  
  The tournaments have also started to take measures against betting. Just a few hours ago, I read that the Australian Open will "establish an anti-corruption unit, which will be headed by former police officers, introduce a match-fixing hotline, ban the use of laptop computers courtside and increase security measures restricting access to players." All of this makes sense except the banning of laptops. I have no idea how this would have anything to do with fixed matches. At the Australian Open, this will also be the first time that they are not allowing TAB Sportsbet to operate a betting shop on the grounds. This is another strange way to get in terms with the problem of fixed matches. Are they so naïve that they think the people who fix matches would place a bet in a betting trolley on the Australian Open grounds?

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