No concessions for the player
The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) has handed out a lifetime ban to Egyptian tennis player Youssef Hossam after having found him guilty of a number of match-fixing offenses.
permanently excluded from competing in or attending any sanctioned tennis event”
A disciplinary hearing of the case took place in London between March 9 and 11, 2020. The independent anti-corruption hearing officer Jane Mulcahy QC proceeded to impose the lifetime sanction on the sportsman.
In a statement following the decision, the TIU confirmed: “As a result of his conviction, Mr Hossam is now permanently excluded from competing in or attending any sanctioned tennis event organized or recognized by the governing bodies of the sport.”
Multiple anti-corruption breaches and failures
The 21-year-old tennis player was found to have committed 21 different breaches of the anti-corruption rules from 2015 until 2019. He also allegedly conspired with other people in betting-related corruption in the lower rungs of professional tennis.
There were an additional three failures on his behalf to report approaches regarding corruption. He was also found guilty of two failures to comply with the TIU’s investigation.
Not the first Hossam to get a lifetime ban
Hossam’s highest position in the singles world rankings was 291, which he reached in December 2017. At the time of receiving the lifetime ban, he occupied a lowly 820 position. His older brother, Karim Hossam, was also banned from the sport for life after getting convicted of numerous match-fixing offenses back in 2018.
older brother, Karim Hossam, was also banned from the sport for life
The TIU has been working hard in recent years to stamp out corruption such as match-fixing from the sport. Match-fixing is mainly prevalent in the lower levels of professional tennis, where players can be under financial strain. The unit was set up as a joint initiative by the International Tennis Federation, the Grand Slam Board, the Women’s Tennis Association, and the Association of Tennis Professionals.