Historic sanction in the world of tennis for match-fixing. The French player Quentin Folliot was punished with a 20-year suspension, in addition to a fine of 60,000 euros, for having committed 27 violations of the tennis anti-corruption code, as reported by … International Tennis Integrity Agency.
The Frenchman was a key player in a match-fixing ring which was investigated and dismantled on October 14 and which operated in France, Romania, Bulgaria and also in Spain, where one person was arrested. This mafia operated with different high-tech systems such as satellite dishes, advanced software and identity theft to manipulate results in collusion with certain players, usually low-ranking players, who needed money to cover travel, hotel and tournament participation costs.
Even if six other tennis players are sanctioned, Folliot was the central axis. As a player, he reached 488th in the world as his best performance and, according to the ATP, he earned around 50,000 euros in prize money between his singles and doubles careers.
The Frenchman has denied thirty accusations made against him in eleven matches corresponding to dates between 2022 and 2024, of which he played eight. But an independent anti-corruption hearing officer, Amani Khalifa, confirmed 27 of the accusations. For Khalifa, Folliot was “a conduit for a larger criminal syndicate, which actively recruited other players and attempted to deepen corruption on professional tours.”
Folliot was removed from the competition in May 2024 and also received a financial sanction of 60,000 euros in addition to the restitution of all money earned through corruption, which amounts to a further 40,000 euros.
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