Match-fixing bombshell rocks Australian Open

Match-fixing bombshell rocks Australian Open, A affliction address alleging boundless bribery in tennis casting a adumbration over the alpha of the Australian Open on Monday as admiral agilely denied suppressing affirmation of match-fixing.

The BBC and BuzzFeed appear that a "core group" of 16 players who accomplished the top 50 in the accomplished decade, including Grand Slam title-winners, had again acquired suspicion but never faced action.

The claims, citation a leaked accumulation of abstruse files, bankrupt as the year's aboriginal Grand Slam got underway in Melbourne, and prompted a abrupt acknowledgment from tennis officials, with British Prime Minister David Cameron aswell calling for a abounding analysis by the sport's administering bodies.

As belief swirled over the identities of the players beneath suspicion -- eight of whom are reportedly in Melbourne -- apple amount one Novak Djokovic said he was already approached to fix a match.

The men's bout and the sport's anti-corruption body, the Tennis Integrity Unit, as able-bodied as Tennis Australia durably alone suggestions that any affirmation was advisedly suppressed.

"The Tennis Integrity Unit and the tennis authorities actually adios any advancement that affirmation of match-fixing has been suppressed for any acumen or isn't getting thoroughly investigated," men's bout arch Chris Kermode told reporters."And while the BBC and BuzzFeed letters mainly accredit to contest from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information, and we consistently do."

The address comes afterwards allegations of doping cover-ups at athletics' apple body, the IAAF, and aswell chase the bribery scandals which accept affronted football's FIFA.

"It is acutely apropos that addition activity is adverse such austere allegations," an official agent for Prime Minister Cameron said Monday.

"As with the allegations we accept apparent in added sports like contest and football, the humans who ache a lot of are the fans.

"The Prime Minister would wish to see these issues advised by the absolute authorities. The a lot of important affair is that activity is taken in acknowledgment and the absolute authorities get on with that."

Murky apple -

The leaked files cover data of an analysis into a 2007 bout amid Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello, which begin bereft affirmation of base practice.

The address said the delving baldheaded syndicates in Russia and Italy authoritative hundreds of bags of dollars action on matches board anticipation to be fixed.

The key accumulation of 16 doubtable players had not been targeted in any crackdown, it said, analytic the capability of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).

Kermode said the TIU had won 18 aesthetics including six activity bans back it was set up in 2008, abacus it "has to acquisition affirmation as against to information, suspicion, or hearsay".

BuzzFeed said players were targeted in auberge apartment at above tournaments and offered $50,000 or added to fix matches for the action syndicates.

Other allegations included that a arcane address in 2008 recommended investigations into 28 players but the allegation were not followed up, allegedly on acknowledged advice.

The address aswell said the European Sports Security Association, which monitors action for bookmakers, flagged up added than 50 apprehensive matches to the TIU endure year.

Djokovic played down the report's acceptation but he aswell said he was targeted in 2007 to bandy a first-round bout at St Petersburg.

"I was not approached directly. I was approached through humans that were alive with me at that time," said the arresting Australian Open champion, afterwards assault Chung Hyeon in the aboriginal round.

"Of course, we threw it away, appropriate away. It didn't even get to me, the guy that was aggravating to allocution to me, didn't even get to me directly. There was annihilation out of it."

Djokovic was reportedly offered $200,000 to bandy the match, in an adventure which gives an acumen into the black apple of match-fixing -- which the Serb alleged "a abomination in sport".

Roger Federer aswell said it was difficult to assumption the acceptation of the report, but he accustomed the added burden that would now focus on match-fixers.

"There's added burden on these humans now maybe because of this story, which is a acceptable thing," Federer said.

Other players seemed blind of any problems with corruption, with both Serena Williams and Japan's Kei Nishikori adage they hadn't noticed annihilation untoward.

"I anticipate that... as an athlete, I do aggregate I can to be not alone great, but, you know, historic. If that's (match-fixing) traveling on, I don't apperceive about it," Williams said.
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