LONDON — On Friday, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that three Nigerian tennis players, each ranked below the top 1,000, have been suspended and fined $10,000 due to their connection with a match-fixing operation based in Belgium.

Henry Atseye, aged 35, acknowledged committing six breaches of anti-corruption regulations between 2017 and 2018. These included facilitating betting and manipulating the outcomes of three matches. Consequently, he has received a suspension lasting 2.5 years alongside his monetary penalty.

Sylvester Emmanuel, 26, and Christian Paul, 29, did not contest their respective charges. By not responding, they were deemed to have accepted liability and consented to the sanctions imposed. During the same period as Atseye, both players incurred six violations, which included facilitating wagering, manipulating match results, accepting monetary incentives, and failing to report corrupt approaches, according to the ITIA.

As a result of their actions, both Emmanuel and Paul have been handed three-year bans along with their fines.

This trio now joins over 20 other individuals who have faced suspensions due to their affiliations with a syndicate led by Grigor Sargsyan, who is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for his involvement in corrupt practices.