€800,000 Embezzled, Five French Nationals Involved: How a Bulgarian Network Infiltrated World Tennis

Five young French individuals are at the center of an international match-fixing network, involving more than ten countries and hidden profits exceeding €800,000. Former players, obscure tournaments, and electronic accounts... The investigation, reported by the newspaper L'Équipe, reveals a major scandal currently affecting world tennis.

The Marseille prosecutor's office confirmed on Monday, October 20th, what had been emerging for several weeks as one of the biggest corruption scandals in professional tennis: five young Frenchmen aged 23 to 29 have been indicted in an international match-fixing case.

They are accused of sports corruption, organized fraud, and participation in a criminal association. They have been placed under judicial supervision, but the suspicions are serious: they are alleged to have been paid to deliberately lose sets or matches at the request of influential bettors.

Investigators have already identified over €800,000 in profits. The investigation, opened in late 2023 after detecting betting irregularities during a tournament in Rodez, reveals that more than 40 tournaments between 2018 and 2024 were targeted in at least ten countries, including France, the United States, Italy, Mexico, Egypt, and Tunisia.

The core of the network operated from Bulgaria. Electronic currency accounts led investigators to the alleged masterminds of the case: four men arrested in Bulgaria, including three former tennis players, among them the brothers Karen and Juri Khachatryan.

The latter are not unknown to sports authorities: they had already been sanctioned for match-fixing in the past. They are now being prosecuted for cross-border money laundering and corruption in sports competitions.

The network targeted players ranked beyond the ATP top 100, often in financial difficulty, operating in the shadows of the main tour. One of them reportedly told investigators:

"I was offered money to lose a set. It was too tempting given my financial struggles."

The organizers rigged bets by knowing the outcome of certain games, sets, or matches in advance. A well-oiled mechanism, facilitated by third-division tournaments, which receive little media coverage but are still open to betting.

Initially, 14 people had been arrested in France, Spain, Romania, and Bulgaria. The investigation continues to expand and could lead to further indictments, as the system appears to be extensive.

Meanwhile, the International Tennis Federation is issuing numerous administrative suspensions. Three French players have already been suspended, and a fourth has just been sanctioned for failing to report acts of corruption.