Four Table Tennis Players Suspended in Match-Fixing

Investigation Uncovers Betting Violations

Four table tennis players—Luke Savill, Darius Knight, Joseph Langham-Ferreira, and Kazeem Adeleke—have been suspended following a joint investigation into betting-related offenses. The inquiry, led by Table Tennis England, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), found all four players guilty of breaching the TTE Anti-Corruption Regulations.

The players were accused of betting on prohibited table tennis matches, with some wagers linked to unusual betting activity—a common red flag for match manipulation. The investigation originated in 2020, after the Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU), a division of the UKGC, flagged suspicious betting patterns linked to games played in Ukraine.

Lengthy Suspensions for Those Involved

Savill, Knight, and Langham-Ferreira were found to have placed bets on their own sport, with Savill also implicated in match-fixing allegations. While Adeleke was not involved in manipulating games, he was still found guilty of violating betting restrictions.

As a result, Savill and Knight received six-year bans, barring them from all competitive and coaching roles. Langham-Ferreira received a three-year suspension, while Adeleke was handed a five-year ban despite not being involved in match-fixing.

“This case highlights the importance of global collaboration in protecting the integrity of sport. Over the past five years, stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions have worked together to investigate and address concerns around match-fixing. This demonstrates that safeguarding sport is a shared responsibility, and those who seek to manipulate outcomes face increasing scrutiny. The message is clear, integrity in sport matters, and efforts to uphold it will continue”, said Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission.