Dejanovic, an official at the national level, is currently facing charges for violating the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). As a result of these charges, he has been suspended since January 8, preventing him from officiating or attending professional tennis events, including those authorized or sanctioned by ITIA members or any national association.
The full details of the charges against Dejanovic have not been disclosed by the ITIA. However, reference was made to Section F.3.b.i.4 of the TACP, suggesting that he is likely to have committed a “major offence” that undermines the integrity of tennis. Dejanovic has chosen not to appeal the ruling and is currently serving a provisional suspension while the ITIA completes its investigation.
Dejanovic is the latest individual to be provisionally suspended by the ITIA. It was only earlier this month that Stefan Milanov, a Bulgarian official, was banned by the ITIA for 16 years. Milanov was found guilty of several corruption offences related to five matches he umpired in 2021, including manipulating scoring data and facilitating betting on the events.
In recent weeks, the ITIA has also taken action against players with links to a wider match-fixing case in Belgium. The collaboration between the ITIA and Belgian authorities resulted in the sentencing of syndicate leader Grigor Sargsyan to five years in custody, as well as the initial banning of 16 players in November. Furthermore, French tennis player Leny Mitjana received a 10-year ban after being found guilty of corruption and match-fixing, while Tunisian player Anis Ghorbel was banned for three years for his involvement in match-fixing during 2016 and 2017.
It is important to note that Ghorbel, who achieved a career-high world singles ranking of 479 in 2016, denies all charges. The ITIA has not revealed whether Dejanovic’s suspension is related to the same match-fixing case as the other individuals mentioned.
