Investigative News Report Alleges Match Fixing In Tennis Citing 16 Athletes As Having Accepted Cash Bribes To Lose Games

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

The BBC and Buzzfeed News have published a story alleging match fixing in tennis. The reports allege 16 top 50 ranked male tennis players engaged in match fixing. The report has not furnished the public with the names of the tennis players being accused of accepting cash bribes to lose matches, which benefits bookies on the gambling circuit.

The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) and separately the ATP have denied the allegations. World number one, Novak Djokovic, stated he was offer $200,000 to engage in match fixing, with the offer being made for him to lose a game in St Petersburg. He declined the offer. Djokovic stated, "Of course, we threw it away. It made me feel terrible."

Tennis champion, Roger Federer stated, "I would love to hear names. Then at least it's concrete stuff and you can actually debate about it. Was it the player? Was it the support team? Who was it? Was it before? Was it a doubles player, a singles player? Which Slam? It's super serious and it's super important to maintain the integrity of our sport. So how high up does it go? The higher it goes, the more surprised I would be."

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who is a fan of the sport and an avid tennis player has called for an independent probe. Cameron's spokesperson at Downing Street stated,"It is deeply concerning that another sport is facing such serious allegations. As with the allegations we have seen in other sports like athletics and football, the people who suffer most are the fans. The Prime Minister would want to see these issues investigated by the independent authorities. The most important thing is that action is taken in response and the independent authorities get on with that."

STORY SOURCE

Tennis hit with claims of widespread match-fixing

18 January 2016 at 10:29am - Tennis has been hit by allegations of widespread match-fixing at the elite level of the sport, including Wimbledon, while officials have denied claims of a cover-up. The names of 16 players have been flagged repeatedly to the Tennis Integrity Unit over the last decade amid fears they have thrown matches but no action was taken, according to a joint investigation by BBC News and Buzzfeed News. The TIU and the head of the men's ATP Tour have denied any suspected wrongdoing had been covered up.

Djokovic reveals he was offered £140,000 to throw match 

Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic has revealed he was offered £140,000 to throw a match in 2007 as the sport faces fresh allegations of elite match-fixing over the past decade. Djokovic said "people that were working with me at the time" were approached with a $200,000 (£140,000) offer for him to deliberately lose a match at a tournament in St Petersburg. "Of course, we threw it away right away," the Serbian told reporters on the day he began his defence of the Australian Open. "It made me feel terrible."

Responding directly to the latest allegations, Djokovic suggested the alleged widespread fixing concerned matches "almost 10 years ago" and players "who are not active any more" despite claims one top-50 player suspected of fixing is competing in the Australian Open...

http://www.itv.com

PM calls for independent probe into elite tennis 'fixing' 

View all 4 updates › 18 January 2016 at 12:41pm -  David Cameron has called for an independent investigation into the "deeply concerning" allegations of widespread match-fixing in tennis, including at Wimbledon. A Downing Street spokesperson said the Prime Minister wants to see "action taken" in the wake of claims that 16 elite players had been reported over fears of fixing in the past decade.

"It is deeply concerning that another sport is facing such serious allegations. As with the allegations we have seen in other sports like athletics and football, the people who suffer most are the fans. The Prime Minister would want to see these issues investigated by the independent authorities. The most important thing is that action is taken in response and the independent authorities get on with that." – Downing Street spokesperson

http://www.itv.com

 

Federer: It's time to name players suspected of match fixing

Jan. 18, 2016 11:06 AM EST - MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Roger Federer has heard enough speculation about match-fixing in tennis. If players are suspected of corruption, he wants names. Federer was responding to reports by BBC and BuzzFeed News published Monday that tennis authorities have suppressed evidence of match-fixing and overlooked suspected cases involving players ranked in the top 50, including Grand Slam singles and doubles winners. The reports said that none of these players had faced sanctions and more than half would be playing at this year's Australian Open, which started Monday. The players weren't identified by name... 

 
http://www.bigstory.ap.org

Serena Williams Sixth Wimbledon Title Brings Racist Rhetoric

Serena Williams

When Venus Williams and Serena Williams first hit the tennis circuit, they faced racism in select U.S. states. The worst incident occurred at the Indian Wells tournament in California, where Serena's father Richard Williams and her sister, Venus Williams, were booed, jeered and called "nig*er" and "nig*ers" by members of the crowd as they walked to their seats. One man in the crowd, who was among the individuals calling Richard a "nigger" also stated to him, "I wish it was 75, we'd skin you alive" (Los Angeles race riots occurred in 1975).

Serena was booed and jeered from the moment she walked out on the court, with racial slurs spewing from people in the crowd. The 2001 incident was so bad, the sisters vowed never to play Indian Wells again and did not for over a decade. Make no mistake, it was racism. People referring to you and your family as "ni*gers" is a clear indication of that. They should not have been subjected to such terrible treatment.

Serena Williams at Wimbledon ball

Derogatory, racially charged statements were made about them by opponent, Martina Hingis, who stated, "Many times they get sponsors because they are black. And they have had a lot of advantages because they can always say, 'it's racism.' They can always come back and say, 'Because we are this color, things happen'" and "I think they've been treated with kid gloves...People have been afraid to criticize them because they don't want to be called racist." In another interview Hingis stated people (in tennis) only let the Williams sisters get away with things because they are black. Coincidentally, Hingis was banned from tennis for two-years over using cocaine.

Wimbledon men's champion Novak Djokovic and women's champion Serena Williams

Fast-forward to this past weekend where Serena Williams won Wimbledon for the 6th time. Some were proud of her, but there were also negative, racially based statements made online. Race has no place in sports. There are gifted athletes of all races from many countries, who have done exceptionally well.

Serena Williams and Michael Jordan are black American athletes who have done very well in their chosen sport. Michael Phelps is a white American athlete who has done very well in his sport of swimming. Pele (Brazilian), Lionel Messi (Argentinean) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese) are Latin men who have done very well in football (soccer). Stanley Matthews and  Bobby Charlton are white British football (soccer) players who are legends for having done well in their field. Usain Bolt is a black Jamaican sprinter, who has set many world records and won gold medals, doing very well in his sport.

The aforementioned individuals are a broad cross-section of people of different races and nations, who have excelled in sports. At the end of the day they are humans first and foremost. Sports is not about racial, national or global domination. It is supposed to be about athletes doing what they love and spectators enjoying the respective games. 

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Andy Murray at the Olympics last month

British tennis star, Andy Murray, has capped off a great summer, where he won a gold medal at the London Olympics, with a sensational win in the U.S. Open final. The Olympic momentum carried over. Murray triumphed over tennis ace Novak Djokovic to take the title. He is the first British man to win a Grand Slam in 76-years. I know he feels good. Dude you did it! The man definitely deserves official recognition from the U.K. government for this feat. Congrats to Murray.

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Sound Off Column: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Halle Berry, Usain Bolt, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal

Volume 111

CELEBRITY Cute Kids
CELEBRITY Cute Couples
CELEBRITY Out And About
SPORTS Photos
SPIRITUAL The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

CELEBRITY Cute Kids

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves' absolutely cute kids Levi and Vida

Sandra Bullock and her handsome son Louis

Halle Berry, Oliver Martinez and her lovely daughter Nahla

CELEBRITY Cute Couples

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves

Andy Murray and Kim Sears

CELEBRITY Out And About

Heidi Klum looked fantastic in this number

Frieda Pinto looks pretty and elegant

Michelle Keegan is youthful and lovely

Iman is gorgeous and well polished

Patti Labelle is always lovely and glamorous

Denzel Washington looks handsome and distinguished

Hugh Jackman is attractive and well groomed

Donnie McClurkin looks nice and cheerful in a flattering suit for the season

Kirk Franklin's throwback look is working for him

Steve Harvey is always sharp and always funny

After 25-years in television Sinbad looks the same - the man has aged so well (and I love that red hair)

Cedric the Entertainer is sporting a casual and chic look that compliments his pleasant demeanor

SPORTS Photos

Wayne Rooney

Rio Ferdinand

Frank Lampard

Wojciech Szczesny and Theo Walcott

Usain Bolt

Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade

LeBron James, Victoria Justice and Chris Paul

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic

SPIRITUAL The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

The light at the end of the tunnel, at times can seem elusive, when we are going through terrible troubles in our darkest hours. Perseverance is important, as giving up is not the answer to your problems. See things through and know within your heart you will overcome Ignore what the naysayer tell you. Use your faith in God to keep moving forward.