A Romanian, part of a tennis match-fixing network, was ARRESTED » In total, 15 people were detained

According to investigators, the group bribed several tennis players, particularly athletes outside the Top 100 in the ATP rankings, to intentionally lose sets or entire matches.

High suspicion of unexpected results and identical bets

The first signs of cheating appeared after higher-ranked players lost seemingly inexplicable games or made strategic mistakes at key moments.

Cross-checks of other matches and reports received from international betting companies confirmed the suspicions: several matches were being manipulated in the same way and the stakes were focused on the same players and results.

Investigations revealed that some punters had created accounts solely to place bets on these matches, and in many cases bets were being placed simultaneously in different countries, contradicting the actual running of the matches, according to The Mirror.

Operation coordinated by Eurojust

The coordination of the investigation was carried out by Eurojust, the European Union's agency for judicial cooperation, which facilitated the exchange of information between the authorities of the four states involved.

During the day of action, the authorities carried out simultaneous searches and arrested 15 people:

• 9 in France;

• 4 in Bulgaria;

• 1 in Romania;

• 1 in Spain;

Electronic devices and documents have also been seized in all the countries involved to be analyzed.

Romania's role in the investigation

In Romania, the action was coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, through the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) – Central Structure, in collaboration with the Romanian Police and the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Pitesti Court of Appeal.

Romanian investigators contributed to the identification of financial connections between local intermediaries and the Bulgarian core of the network.

Matches rigged in 13 countries

The network allegedly operated around 40 Challenger and Futures level tournaments, the second and third tiers of professional tennis, held in 13 countries: France, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Canada, USA, Mexico, Egypt, Tunisia and Romania.

In many cases, the players involved were tempted with sums of money to lose controlled sets. One of the interviewed athletes stated:

“They suggested I lose a set. It was too tempting, considering my financial problems.”

Investigation started in France

It all started in December 2023, after France's National Gaming Authority (ANJ) reported irregularities in a doubles match at a tournament in Rodez. The alert led to a wider investigation, in which other suspected French players were also identified.

According to the prosecutor's office in Marseille, the facts fall under organized fraud, sports corruption and association for criminal purposes, and the damage confirmed so far exceeds 800,000 euros.