Tennis Match Fixing & Corruption: Chilean Mauricio Alvarez-Guzman Faces Life Ban
The Chilean player, Mauricio Alvarez-Guzman ranked 3059 in ITF ranking was found guilty of attempting to bribe a player and of offences related to purchasing wild cards.
Mauricio has been handed a lifetime ban from professional tennis after being found guilty of match-fixing and associated corruption offences, which breach the sport’s Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
The 31-year old was found to have attempted to contrive the outcome of an August 2016 ATP Challenger match in Meerbusch, Germany by offering a player €1,000 to lose a set.
In addition he was found guilty of contriving the singles draw of the ITF F27 Futures tournament played in July 2016 in Antalya, Turkey by purchasing a wild card for entry into the singles competition. An intention to purchase a wild card for the doubles competition of the same tournament did not come to fruition, but still stands as a corruption offence.
The disciplinary case against Mr Alvarez-Guzman was considered by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Charles Hollander QC at a Hearing held in London on 11 March 2019.
Having found him guilty of all charges, the lifetime ban imposed by Mr. Hollander means that with effect from 14 March 2019 the player is permanently excluded from competing in or attending any tournament or event organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of the sport.
In July 2010 Mr Alvarez-Guzman reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 1050; his highest doubles ranking of 672 came in August 2014. His current ITF World Tour ranking stands at 3059.
The breaches of the TACP he has been found guilty of are:
Section D.1.d: “No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of any Event.”
Section D.1.e: “No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or facilitate any Player to not use his or her best efforts in any Event.”
Section D.1.g: “No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, offer or provide any money, benefit or Consideration to any other Covered Person with the intention of negatively influencing a Player’s best efforts in any Event.”
The Tennis Integrity Unit is an initiative of the Grand Slam Board, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP and the WTA, who are jointly committed to a zero tolerance approach to corruption in tennis.
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