Bulgarian Tennis Official Slapped With 16-Year Suspension for 17 Breaches in Shocking Scandal

Stefan Milanov, a Bulgarian tennis official, has landed himself in deep trouble! Milanov has been handed a 16-year suspension by the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). Indicating that he would be barred from being associated with the sport till 2039. The announcement came after Milanov was found guilty of breaching seventeen TACP rules over the period of 5 matches. These five matches took place in 2021 when the Bulgarian was officiating at the National level. 

What’s surprising is that Milanov initially served a ban of six months after being found guilty of betting in 2022. With such a dark cloud looming over the Bulgarian, let’s dive deep into the story.

Stefan Milanov banned from officiating tennis games

Following the charges of betting brought against Milanov, he failed to respond to the ITIA. As a matter of fact, the Bulgarian was also slapped with a hefty fine of $75,000 by Amani Khalifa who is an officer at the Anti-Corruption Hearing Office. 

Such an irresponsible act backfired as it implied that Milanov had agreed to be liable for the charges against him. He was subsequently charged under several sections of the TACP, namely G.1.e.ii and G.1.e.iii. 

In an official statement released recently, the TACP listed down every charge brought against Milanov. The statement said, “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 statement also detailed the suspension terms and conditions. It stated that during the period from December 28, 2023-December 27, 2039, Milanov shall be prohibited from officiating or attending a tennis match that has been authorized by either member of the ITIA. The Bulgarian was banned from officiating matches at National level as well. 

While Milanov faces charges for alleged betting, a much bigger racket was busted recently that left the tennis realm in shock. 

Biggest betting scandal rocks Tennis world

Investigators of a swat team finally laid their hands on Grigor Sargsyan, who was the mastermind behind the biggest betting scandal in modern-day tennis. He operated by asking players to play to a predetermined result that benefited both parties financially. It was Sargsyan’s shrewd intellect that earned him the nickname of ‘Maestro’. 

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In a shocking revelation, it was found that during the time, as many as 375 matches were fixed, and approximately 181 athletes were involved in the racket. Sargsyan intended to target the athletes from the Futures Tour and the Challenger tournaments who were not financially well off. However, the investigators did finally manage to get him arrested. Sargsyan was put behind bars for five years along with a lifetime ban from being involved in any manner with the game. 

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