Three Nigerian Tennis Players Suspended Under Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed that three Nigerian tennis players have been sanctioned for breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP).

The sanctions are linked to a criminal case heard in 2023 involving a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium. Collaboration between the ITIA and Belgian authorities led to a five-year custodial sentence for the leader of the syndicate, Grigor Sargsyan.

The three players’ cases were ruled on by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Amani Khalifa.

35-year-old Henry Atseye, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 1518 in September 2015, admitted to six breaches of the TACP across 2017 and 2018. The player admitted to collaborating with Karim Hossam (who was issued a lifetime ban in 2018) to commit corruption offenses, including facilitating wagering and contriving the outcome of three matches.

Atseye was issued a suspension of two years and six months, alongside a fine of $10,000. The suspension began on 14 October 2024, and will end on 13 April 2027.

Sylvester Emmanuel and Christian Paul did not respond to ITIA charges, effectively accepting liability and acceding to sanctions, as outlined under section G.1.e of the TACP.

26-year-old Emmanuel, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 1097 in December 2016, and 29-year-old Paul, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 1257 in May 2016, were found liable for six breaches of the TACP across 2017 and 2018 – including facilitating wagering, contriving the outcome of matches, receipt of money and failure to report corrupt approaches.

Emmanuel and Paul were issued suspensions of three years, alongside fines of $10,000. The suspensions began on 6 November 2024, and will end on 5 November 2027.

During their periods of ineligibility, the players are prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association.

The ITIA is an independent body established by its tennis members to promote, encourage, enhance and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis events worldwide.