Wimbledon sponsors HSBC, Jaguar and Slazenger quiet on tennis match-fixing claims
Wimbledon sponsors HSBC, Jaguar and Slazenger have closed ranks and not commented on reports that claim the sport they sponsor is rife with corruption.
All three told The Drum that they would not comment on the initial reports that allege some 16 players, who have ranked in the top 50, have repeatedly fixed matches over the last decade. No names were mentioned, though the report claimed gambling syndicates in Russia and Italy profited from those matches that have been fixed.
That brands have opted to remain quiet for now shout not come as a surprise given that the report has been rejected by tennis chiefs. “The Tennis Integrity Unit and the tennis authorities absolutely reject any suggestion that evidence of match-fixing has been suppressed for any reason or isn’t thoroughly investigated,” said Chris Kermode, chief executive of the Association of Tennis Professionals.
The allegations bare similarities to those that rocked football and athletics after their governing bodies Fifa and the IAAF respectively were reported to be riddled with corruption. Sponsors, particularly those backers of Fifa, have been vocal in their condemnation of the organisation in light of the allegations and those backers of tennis will likely be watching to see how the latest allegations play out over the coming days and months.
Should more high-profile players open up about the claims, like world number one Novak Djokovic, who admitted he rejected £110,000 to lose a match, then it could go some way to forcing sponsors to make a stand. Fifa executives had long been linked to corruption and yet it took it for the arrest of senior members last year to force some brands into publicly criticising the organisation that they had paid millions to help lift their image around the world.