ITIA: Bulgarian Tennis Official Sanctioned

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed that Bulgarian tennis official Stefan Milanov has been suspended from the sport for a period of 16 years following 17 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP).

Milanov, a national-level official who served a six-month suspension for betting offenses in 2022, did not respond to the ITIA’s charges. The case was ruled on by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Amani Khalifa, who also issued Milanov a fine of $75,000.

In failing to respond to the ITIA charges – relating to five matches that they umpired in 2021 – Milanov effectively admitted liability for all charges and acceded to sanctions, as outlined under sections G.1.e.ii and G.1.e.iii of the TACP.

The charges included five breaches of Section D.1.b of the 2021 TACP – directly or indirectly facilitating any other person to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of an event; five breaches of Section D.1.m of the 2021 TACP – delaying or manipulating entry of scoring data from any Event for any reason; five breaches of Section D.1.n of the 2021 TACP – directly or indirectly attempting, agreeing or conspiring to commit any Corruption Offense; and two breaches of Section F.2.b of the 2023 TACP – failing to co-operate fully with investigations conducted by the ITIA.

The suspension will run from the date of the decision (28 December 2023) until midnight on 27 December 2039.

During the suspension, Milanov is prohibited from officiating at or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, French Tennis Federation, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association.

The ITIA is an independent body established by its tennis members to promote, encourage, enhance, and safeguard the integrity of professional tennis worldwide.