ITIA slaps Max Wenders with a 12-year match-fixing ban

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Dutch coach Max Wenders has been barred from any involvement in the sport of tennis for 12 years after being found guilty of corruption.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Wednesday that Wenders had admitted to “multiple match-fixing charges” and also copped to destroying evidence and failing to report a corrupt approach.

The breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) rules that he has admitted to and been sanctioned for are:

Section D1.d of the 2019 TACP: No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive, attempt to contrive, agree to contrive, or conspire to contrive the outcome, or any other aspect, of any Event.”

Section D.1.e of the 2018 TACP: “No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, facilitate any Player to not use his or her best efforts in any Event.”

Section D.2.b.ii of the 2019 TACP: “In the event any Player is approached by any person who offers or provides any type of money, benefit or Consideration to a Player to (i) influence the outcome or any other aspect of any Event, or (ii) provide Inside Information, it shall be the Player’s obligation to report such incident to the TIU as soon as possible.”

Section F.2.b of the 2019 TACP: “All Covered Persons must cooperate fully with investigations conducted by the TIU including giving evidence at hearings, if requested. After a Covered Person receives a TIU request for an initial interview or otherwise becomes aware of any TIU investigation involving the Covered Person, the Covered Person shall (i) preserve and not tamper with, damage, disable, destroy or otherwise alter any evidence (including any personal devices described in Section F.2.c.i.) or other information related to any Corruption Offense and (ii) not solicit, facilitate or advise any other person to fail to preserve, tamper with, damage, disable, destroy or otherwise alter any evidence or other information related to any Corruption Offense.”

A statement on the sanction read: “The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has today confirmed that Dutch tennis coach Max Wenders has been banned from the sport for 12 years after admitting multiple match-fixing charges. The player also admitted destroying evidence requested by the ITIA (then the Tennis Integrity Unit) and failing to report a corrupt approach.

“The case was originally heard by Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Professor Richard McLaren in April 2021 who ruled that Wenders should also pay a fine of $12,000. Publication of the sanction was delayed following submissions from Mr Wenders’ legal team, however AHO McLaren has now lifted that prohibition.

“The sanction means that Wenders is prohibited from playing in, coaching at or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis for a period of 12 years from the date of the decision (28 April 2021).”

Wenders has coached a number of WTA Tour professionals, including Sofia Kenin with whom he also had a romantic relationship.

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