The Italian Tennis federation (FIT) has banned former doubles pairing Daniele Bracciali and Potito Starace for life following an investigation into match-fixing. The Italian tribunal has concluded that both men “have altered the outcome of several meetings in order to achieve illegal profits by betting" according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

The probe was launched in 2014 following a police investigation into match-fixing in football. The investigation identified a series of Skype conversations which identified Bracciali and Starace. One conversation which was made public was between Bracciali and accountant Manlio Bruni in 2007 when they were discussing an upcoming match in Newport.

Bruni: Tell me about numbers if you can.

Bracciali: Usually they offer us 50, then it depends. Anyway tomorrow I prefer to play it; maybe next time we can talk about it.

Bruni: Look, I could do 50 for tomorrow as a trial, but it is crucial that you win the first set.

If not, another time is fine if I know it in advance and we can give more.

Bracciali: It`s important that I know my opponent so that I can talk to him before the match. Because even telling you that I will win the first set is not so easy since I could lose it. Starace released a statement last November, denying that he deliberately fixed his match against Pablo Andujar in the final of the 2011 Casablanca Open.

The comments from the Italian was prompted when an arrested betting shop owner told police that Starace agreed to sell his final. In 2008 both players received a short ban by the Italian Tennis Federation for betting on matches involving other players.

In addition to their lifetime ban, they have also been fined. Bracciali has been ordered to pay 40,000 Euros and Starace 20,000. Both men have enjoyed average tennis careers. 34-year-old Starace claimed 11 Challenger titles and reached a ranking high of 27 in 2007.

His best Grand Slam performance was reaching the third round at the French Open twice in 2004 and 2007. Meanwhile 37-year-old Bracciali has one ATP title from 2006 (Casablanca) and reached a ranking high of 49 in the same year.

There is yet to be any public comment from either players regarding their ban. ALSO READ Acasuso thinks Nadal wouldn't have won so many French Open titles if...