Malek Jaziri controversy

[janie]

Why can't governments stay out of sports?

Concerns for Jaziri after forced Tashkent withdrawal
Oct 11, 2013

The Tunisian Ministry of Sport and Tunisian Tennis Federation have forced Arab No1 player Malek Jaziri to withdraw from his quarter-final match in Tashkent against Israel’s Amir Weintraub.

The Challenger match was scheduled to take place on Friday at 10:00am (local time) but Jaziri, who had defeated Roger Federer’s Wimbledon conqueror Sergiy Stakhovsky in straight sets in the previous round, pulled out before it started.

Jaziri’s brother, Amir Jaziri, who has been speaking on his behalf in this matter, told Tunisian radio station Shems FM, that Malek has been ordered not to play by the sports authorities back home despite him explaining to them that he can face sanctions from the tour which can affect his future in tennis.

Amir Jaziri said: “Malek received an email from the Federation telling him they’ve met with people from the Ministry of Sport and they ordered Malek not to play this match.

“Now we are hoping that this will not affect his future. We hope the ministry can give us assurance that nothing will harm Malek but I guess they can’t.

“Today this issue is putting too much pressure on Malek. People are calling him, messaging him and posting comments on Facebook…He had to switch off his phone.

“Can you imagine even if he had to play? He has been under a lot of pressure. It’s not easy for him to prepare for a match and be mentally ready for it.”

Malek Jaziri, currently ranked No169 in the world, had the chance to rise up to around No135 in the rankings had he captured the title in Tashkent.

Both Jaziri and Weintraub belonged to the same club in France, AASS Sarcelles Tennis, and have known each other for years through the sport.

Retired Tunisian player, and the only Arab woman to be ranked in the WTA top-100, Selima Sfar, said she understood the difficult situation Jaziri was put in by his own government and federation, who provide some financial support to him.

But the 36-year-old said she believes he should have played the match.

“I love and respect Malek dearly but he should have put his foot down and played,” Sfar told Sport360°.

“He is a professional and he must take control of his own career. In my day I played all players of different nationalities alike and I never cared to ask for permission to face anyone.

“But also I never got any support from my federation and never depended on them, so I understand that he was in a tough spot because he gets some help from them.”

Following Jaziri’s withdrawal, Weintraub will now face Teymuraz Gabashvili in the semi-finals in Tashkent.

[janie]

And more:
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20131011/malek-jaziri-forced-to-withdraw.ap/

[The Chloe]

I feel for him, but would like for his government to be liquefied for total fucking stupidity. That's reasonable, right?

[janie]

Well that whole part of the world seems to be liquifying, so it sounds pretty reasonable to me.

I really want to see ITF, ATP, and WTA go to bat in a big way for the TUN players. Apparently Ons Jabeur had an iffy "injury" this year in a match after which, if she had won, she'd have played Peer. That was a hard sentence to assemble, so I hope it makes sense. But anyway the best part is that in this Jaziri instance, the world sports media is tuning in for the show and TUN looks ridiculous, so hopefully they can be shamed into better behavior.

[The Chloe]

I don't want to liquefy that whole part of the world - just the ignorant dumb people in those parts. Less of them.

Unfortunately for the players involved with countries who are bad things, I think that Federations who act in this manner ought to be banned completely.

[DBBN]

He should have let Lisa-Marie Moser in the draw.

[Paean]

Jabeur retiring while leading 62 41 against Linette in a WTA QF should've sparked far more controversy than this Jaziri thingie.

Also, Sfar is right, she did play Obziler and Smashnova 4 times in total, but I'm not sure what was the Israeli vs Arab world situation back in the early 00s. Obviously not as delicate.

[janie]

Oct 12, 2013 1:49:51 GMT -5 Paean said:

Jabeur retiring while leading 62 41 against Linette in a WTA QF should've sparked far more controversy than this Jaziri thingie.

I'm sure it would have, if Jabeur had publicized the fact that she was forced to withdraw by her country. It was Jaziri's brother who made sure Malek's reason for pulling out was known. It's probably partly luck that the AP picked up on this in-Tunisia story and spread it far and wide, despite the fact that it's only a challenger tournament.

[Old Hag]

Terrible, but tennis is an expensive sport and you have to please the people that give you money, no matter how awful they are.

If I made ATP/SEWTA level, I'd request to represent Antarctica.

[janie]

But if you were very short on $ and KAZ or even TUN offered you $$$$$ to play for them, you'd probably be happy to jump ship! Sad to say, but I bet I would.

[janie]

Tennis: ATP looking into Tunisian player withdrawal

Agence France-PresseOctober 12, 2013 09:00


Tunisian tennis player Malek Jaziri is facing possible sanctions after pulling out of an ATP match in Tashkent against Israel's Amir Weintraub under the orders of his home tennis federation, according to the player's brother.

The Challenger match had been scheduled for Friday, but Jaziri, who defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine in the previous round, pulled out before it started citing a knee injury.

But according to the player's brother Amir, he was under orders from the Tunisian Tennis Federation not to play against an Israeli opponent.

"Malek received an e-mail from the federation asking him not to play against the Israeli player," Amir Jaziri told Shems FM radio station in Tunisia.

"I hope that this decision will not have serious repercussions on the future of Malek's sporting career."

Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for the Tunisian Sports and Youth Ministry, Ahmed Gaaloul, said that the government in Tunis had no official position on the matter.

"The authorities make no demands either on the federation or the players," he added.

"The ministry of sports and youth and its minister Tarek Dhiab did not order Malek not to play this game." :liar:

In Shanghai where the ATP Masters Series is holding a top-level tournament, a spokesman for the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) told AFP: "We're aware of it and are liaising with the ITF (International Tennis Federation)."

Both Jaziri and Weintraub are members of the same tennis club in France - Sarcelles Tennis - north of Paris and have known each other for years through their sport.

The 29-year-old Jaziri is currently ranked world number 169 and could have risen to 135th had he won the tournament in Tashkent.

The president of the Sarcelles tennis club where the two players are members, Jonathan Chaouat, said that he had spoken to Malek Jaziri on Thursday night and that the player had been upset he would be unable to play the match.

"He explained to me that he could not play the match and when I asked him where the pressure not to play was coming from he replied 'my country.'"

"What is certain is that it was not Malek who decided not to play this match. Malek was taken hostage."

[DBBN]

Oct 12, 2013 13:42:59 GMT -5 janie said:

But according to the player's brother Amir, he was under orders from the Tunisian Tennis Federation not to play against an Israeli opponent.

"Malek received an e-mail from the federation asking him not to play against the Israeli player," Amir Jaziri told Shems FM radio station in Tunisia.

"I hope that this decision will not have serious repercussions on the future of Malek's sporting career."

Well, NOW it will, thanks to YOU. Schmuck.

[lexpretend]

Jabeur posted on Facebook about an ankle injury after she retired. There were rumours, but...just rumours. Which look a whole lot more probable in light of this.

Sfar came from wealth, I think. I saw her off court a couple of times at both ITFs and Wimbledon and she was blinged out.

There should be a way to sanction federations that demand this nonsense while still supporting the individual players, surely.

[Paean]

Oct 14, 2013 3:38:51 GMT -5 lexpretend said:

Jabeur posted on Facebook about an ankle injury after she retired. There were rumours, but...just rumours. Which look a whole lot more probable in light of this.

Sfar came from wealth, I think. I saw her off court a couple of times at both ITFs and Wimbledon and she was blinged out.

There should be a way to sanction federations that demand this nonsense while still supporting the individual players, surely.

I also think that Sfar, while representing Tunisia, has in fact lived in France for most of her life and has not been supported by the Tunisian federation.

You don't retire while leading 63 41 in your first WTA QF playing a scrub like Linette unless you break a leg or an arm. Also, people who watched the match said that she didn't look injured or in pain. She just made sure that the TUN vs ISR match didn't happen, because she would have not been allowed to play it. And a match that doesn't happen can't cause much controversy.

[lexpretend]

I'm surprised she didn't just beat Linette, grab the extra 60 points and give Peer a w/o.

Aside from the controversy I now have no idea how serious Jabeur's ankle injury is (she'd mentioned it before, I think, as a sort of chronic thing?).

[janie]

latest:

ATP clears Jaziri of wrongdoing; ITF probe ongoing

Douglas Robson, USA TODAY Sports
1:57 p.m. EDT October 16, 2013


The men's tour has found no wrongdoing for a Tunisian player told to withdraw from his match against an Israeli opponent, but the International Tennis Federation is still investigating the incident.

Last week at a Challenger-level event in Tashkent, Tunisia's Malek Jaziri pulled out of his quarterfinal match against Israel's Amir Weintraub after receiving an email from the Tunisia Tennis Federation ordering him not to play. Jaziri also cited a knee injury.

On Wednesday, the ATP said in a statement that it had completed its investigation and relieved 165th-ranked Jaziri of any culpability.

"We have found no wrongdoing on the part of the player and all of the information we have gathered has been passed on to the ITF," the statement said.

ITF spokeswoman Barbara Travers said its investigation of the alleged forced pullout was ongoing.

"The ITF takes any matter regarding discrimination very seriously and this incident will be discussed by the ITF Board of Directors at its regularly scheduled meeting on 31 October — 1 November in Cagliari, Italy," Travers wrote in an email. "We have asked the Federation Tunisienne de Tennis to make any relevant submissions to the ITF ahead of that meeting."

The ITF could bring sanctions, such as bans from Davis Cup competition, if it finds that the Tunisian federation violated regulations. The ITF is also an affiliate of the International Olympic Committee, another sphere of influence.

Travers said the ITF would have no further comment until after the board meets.

Arab countries have exercised various levels of boycotts against Israeli athletes in recent decades, mostly to protest the Palestinian situation. North Africa's Tunisia, which inspired the "Arab Spring," is overwhelmingly Muslim.

In 2008, the United Arab Emirates blocked Israel's Shahar Peer from competing at the Dubai Championships. The WTA later slapped the tournament with a record $300,000 fine.

According to news reports, Jaziri's brother, Amir, provided the email sent by the Tunisian tennis authorities to his sibling.

"Following a meeting this afternoon with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, I have the immense regret to inform you that you are ordered not to play against the Israeli player," the federation's email said.

[The Chloe]

I assume they suck too much for not allowing them to compete in International ITF competitions to actually matter, but they should do that anyway. Do they have any tournaments? They shouldn't get to have those either. Honestly, any federations that refuse to compete against particular other ones ought to be punished in the same way.

I assume that the ITF will do nothing other than send a Sad Face email, though.

[janie]

Well, they're in Fed Cup and DC, and the ITF is connected to the Olympics, too. It will be disturbing if there are no sanctions, which, sadly, I agree with you are unlikely. But I'm glad Malek himself won't get in trouble. He's in a sticky situation and I'm glad they recognize that.

I'll be interested to see what Ons Jabeur does next season; she's likely to face Glushko or Peer again at some point.

[R. Black]

No wrongdoing, really? Another issue they want to swipe under the carpet?

[janie]

No, they said "No Wrongdoing" about Malek himself. They're still investigating the TUN Tennis Federation, and if they have that original email, where the TTF ordered MJ not to play, then it's going to be interesting to see how they try to wangle out of this. The Youth Ministry claims the idea didn't come from them, which is what the TTF claimed originally.

[lexpretend]

I have little doubt they'll find "no wrongdoing" there as well

[janie]

Probably, but here's the thing: they can weasel their way out of it once, but the media is going to be paying attention the next time a TUN player draws an ISR. I really don't think they'll be allowed to weasel their way out of it over and over again. Which is why it's a very good thing that Jaziri le frere brought this out in the open. It's the only way it's ever going to change.

[R. Black]

Oct 16, 2013 15:01:13 GMT -5 janie said:

No, they said "No Wrongdoing" about Malek himself.

As unfortunate as his situation is, he should have to pay the consequence of what he did, even if it was ordered by his federation.

[janie]

Even that's not straightforward, though, because he and his brother are claiming, probably to protect themselves from the wrath of the TTF, which supports MJ financially, that Malek really DID have the knee injury he used as his official w/d reason, and that he was already planning to withdraw before he was forced to pull out for the political reason.

In other words, the brothers are trying to finesse their way through this mess by somehow pleasing, or at least not terminally angering, both sides.

[Traveling Man]

I remember when Aisam ul Haq was playing doubles with an Israeli player in 2002 it was a big deal since Pakistan doesn't recognise Israel. The federation threatened to not allow him to represent Pakistan but the ITF stepped in and he was allowed to play. Don't understand why they're not doing the same here - although in that case Aisam was cooperative and getting no support from our national federation.

[DBBN]

www1.skysports.com/tennis/news/12110/9003825/tunisia-suspended-from-davis-cup-over-malek-jaziri-order


Tunisia have been suspended from the Davis Cup for a year after the Tunisian Tennis Federation was found to have ordered its No 1 player not to compete against an Israeli.

Malek Jaziri withdrew from the Tashkent Challenger last month ahead of a match against Amir Weintraub, with Jaziri's brother telling reporters he had been told to do so.

The ATP cleared the player of wrongdoing but the International Tennis Federation continued to investigate the incident and has now decided to impose the ban.

An ITF statement read: "At its regularly scheduled meeting in Cagliari, Italy, the ITF Board of Directors found that the Tunisian Tennis Federation was in breach of the ITF Constitution by interfering with international sporting practice and ordering Tunisian player Malek Jaziri not to compete against Israeli player Amir Weintraub at the 2013 Tashkent Challenger in October.

"The Board was not satisfied with the case put forward by the Tunisian Tennis Federation and voted to suspend Tunisia from the 2014 Davis Cup competition."

Tunisia, who played Great Britain in the Davis Cup in 2011, were relegated from Europe/Africa Zone Group II this season.

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said: "There is no room for prejudice of any kind in sport or in society. The ITF Board decided to send a strong message to the Tunisian Tennis Federation that this kind of action will not be tolerated by any of our members.

"The Board felt that suspension from Davis Cup, a competition that was founded 113 years ago to encourage better understanding through sport, would provide a good lesson for the Federation and a fitting penalty for their unfortunate action."

[janie]

YES! Great news. Thanks for posting!

[DBBN]

I found it on TWITTER. Useful!

[janie]

I put it back on Twitter again!

[The Chloe]

I tried to remove it from twitter but had limited success.