The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has issued a lifetime ban to Chilean tennis coach and former player Sebastián Rivera after he was found guilty of a record number of match-fixing offences.
The case, ruled on by anti-corruption hearing officer Jane Mulcahy QC, discovered Rivera committed a total of 64 offences, the highest number ever detected for a player by the ITIA or its predecessor the Tennis Integrity Unit.
Specific breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) included Section D.1.b of the 2017 and 2018 TACP, whereby no covered person shall solicit or facilitate any other person to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of an event or tennis competition.
Rivera was also found in breach of Section D.1.d of the 2017 and 2018 TACP, which states players must not contrive or attempt to impact the outcome or any other aspect of events.
The ITIA also flagged Section D.1.f of the 2017 and 2018 TACP, which relates to individuals soliciting or accept any money, benefit or consideration with the intention of negatively influencing a player’s best efforts.
In addition, Rivera was ruled to have breached Section D.1.g of the 2017 and 2018 TACP, whereby no covered person may offer or provide money, benefit or consideration to any other individual to negatively influence a player’s best efforts.
The ITIA said Rivera, who had a highest ATP ranking of 705 and went on to be a coach, failed to engage meaningfully with the disciplinary process.
In addition to the lifetime ban, Rivera was fined $250,000 (£222,851/€254,843).
