Italian tennis umpire Francesco Totaro has been banned for life by the international Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for multiple breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) between 2019 and 2023. The decision, announced Friday, August 22, marks a severe penalty for an official who arbitrated matches exclusively within Italy.
ITIA detailed nine offenses committed by Totaro, including manipulating tennis scores and facilitating betting activity related to matches. He was also found to have refused to cooperate with an ITIA investigation and provided false statements. The TACP is designed to maintain the integrity of professional tennis by preventing and punishing corruption, including match-fixing and illegal betting.
Totaro did not contest the charges but requested the sanction be determined by an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO).Jack Forrest KC, acting as the AHO, recommended the lifetime ban. Totaro had been provisionally suspended in 2022 pending the outcome of the investigation. The ITIA was established in 2021 as the independent body responsible for investigating and prosecuting breaches of the TACP across professional tennis, succeeding the Tennis Integrity Unit.
