The Gambling Commission announced that a British Nigerian table tennis star was nominated for alleged competitions and unusual gambling activities among four members of England’s table tennis.
Players Luke Savill, Darius Knight, Joseph Langham-Ferreira and Kazeem Adeleke were all blocked from the “complex international investigation”.
These players are all present before the Discipline Committee’s Discipline Committee’s violation of the TTE anti-corruption regulations, which are related to table tennis matches.
British players Knight, Saville and Langham Ferreira were suspended along with Nigerian star Adlek.
Savill was banned indefinitely and had to play for at least six years, the Cavaliers had approved it for six years, Adeleke had approved it for five years, and Langham-Ferreira had lasted for three years.
Players subject to sanctions may not participate in any table tennis event organized by Table Tennis England, sit on any club committee, coach at any level, or referee or observe in any event.
The Gambling Commission said the report that the committee received about licensed operators was linked to the UK gambling account at a 2020 competition in Ukraine.
The committee conducted a survey in collaboration with stakeholders including the England and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
The proceedings are linked to a high-profile criminal case in Australia involving former Australian former leading player Adam Green, who admitted to making more than 1,100 bets in Ukraine. The case ended in September 2023.
Greene is allegedly going to pass on information about the fixed game to Savile in the UK.
Knight is a reserve GB athlete for the 2012 London Olympics and represents England in the European Championships and Commonwealth Games.
He won the silver medal in England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Dehli.
He won four men’s doubles and three mixed doubles titles in the National Senior Championship.
Luke Savill represented England in junior high school and won the Slovak junior Open in 2017. He also won the Under-21 national championship in March 2020.
Langham-Ferreira has played several national championships and regularly competed in the British Senior League, major divisions, and recently participated in Drumchapel Glasgow and Brighton.
Nigerian national Adeleke participated in the British League, the Fusion Prime Minister’s Division, and also participated in the World Championships at the Alexandra Palace.
Knight made headlines before because he saved his life after chasing Olympic glory.
He told 2008 in 2008 how he quit poverty and crime after witnessing the murder of two of his friends.
He said: “If it weren’t for ping pong, I might not be here now. I might have been dead. I’ve seen what happened to my friends and I know I’m lucky.
“I don’t want to sympathize, I know I have to be strong for myself. Table tennis has given me life and I plan to make the most of it.
Andrew Rhodes, CEO of the Gambling Commission, said: “This case underscores the importance of global cooperation in protecting the integrity of sports. Over the past five years, stakeholders in multiple jurisdictions have worked together to investigate and resolve issues involving competitions.
‘This shows that the protection movement is a shared responsibility and that those who try to manipulate the results face increasing scrutiny. The information is clear and integrity in sports affairs and efforts to maintain it will continue. ”
“This is a real international conspiracy involving sports discipline and criminal law in multiple jurisdictions,” said Kevin Carpenter, head of the ITTF’s Integrity and Integrity Division.
“The integrity of global table tennis can only be achieved through the ITTF integrity department, table tennis stakeholders, and most importantly, cooperation between national member associations and external institutions.
“This case demonstrates how these different bodies work effectively to address one of the outstanding threats to the sport in gambling-related corruption, and we praise the commitment and perseverance of England’s table tennis to draw conclusions.”
Players must appeal the TTE Disciplinary Committee’s decision by April 8, 2025.
