French umpire breaches tennis' anti-corruption rules

A French umpire has been banned for life after being found guilty of breaching tennis' anti-corruption rules.

Morgan Lamri, who worked on the sport's Futures and Challenger tours, was found to be in breach of four articles of the Tennis Integrity Unit's rulebook.

The 22-year-old is the first offical banned by the TIU, the organisation formed in 2008 to tackle gambling-related corruption affecting the sport.

A TIU statement read: "French tennis official Morgan Lamri has been banned from the sport for life after being found guilty of multiple offences under the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (Program).

"Mr Lamri, 22, was found guilty of charges laid under the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Program, in a case based on the findings of a Tennis Integrity Unit investigation.

"The charges for which he has been found guilty and sanctioned are: 16 separate breaches of Section D.1.a of the 2012 and 2013 Programs: 'No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, wager or attempt to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of any Event or any other tennis competition'.

"One breach of Section D.1.d of the 2013 Program: 'No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of any Event'.

"One breach of Section D.1.e of the 2013 Program: 'No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, solicit or facilitate any Player to not use his or her best efforts in any Event'.

"Breaches of Section D.2.c of the 2013 Program: 'For the avoidance of doubt, (i) a failure of the Reporting Obligation by any Covered Person; and/or (ii) a failure of the duty to co-operate under Section F.2 shall constitute a Corruption Offence for all purposes of the Program'."