Bulgarian umpire banned for life over corruption violations

SOFIA: Bulgarian umpire Pavel Atanasov has been banned from tennis for life after withdrawing his appeal for betting-related violations and charges of corruption, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Friday.

Atanasov, a national-level official, was also given a $10,000 fine for 21 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).

“In withdrawing from proceedings, Atanasov effectively admitted liability for numerous TACP offenses between 2019 and 2023,” the ITIA said. (Reuters)