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Umpire Magdi Somat opens up on how the ATP got rid of him

18K views 91 replies 48 participants last post by  George Stobbart 
#1 ·
#43 ·
ATP response :lol:

Keep fighting CK, do not be intimidated by those clowns, history will absolve you
 
#50 ·
WOw, that reads like a fabricated story. I can't imagine the level of men in ATP is so low. This describes them like some kind of idiots constantly thinking and talking about sex like mentally ill people deprived of any sexual life from small age.
I would not be surprised if few people believe this. Maybe it is true but I just cannot relate this to real life.
 
#51 ·
In truth, the world is full of such people in organizations, corporations, governments, militaries, churches and in general in positions of power because they know they can behave that way and get away with it. Just go ahead and do a little research on the kind of sexual harassment that goes on in the US military, the kind of sexual behavior politicians involve in and we know very well what certain people in the church do. So, what you call "real" life is based on your assumptions and biases. Maybe the real life you refer to means the life of the ordinary citizen and whatnot. But there are many people such as described in this article that climb into positions of power and unaccountability that allow them to behave in the degenerate way they want to behave.
 
#53 ·



:spit:




Somat has officially rejoined us in the mortal world of non-umpires.
 
#55 ·
No, none of the big outlets did. Perhaps they will publish small meaningless summaries when the ITF releases their public statement after the appeal period is over, two weeks from now.
 
#56 ·
Wow just saw this thread today. Pretty shady stuff from the ATP. Unsurprisingly... :eek:

Has anything changed for the sexually harrassed female though? Is she still working for the ATP?
 
#59 ·
She does. She doesn't want to make any further comments on the matter, because it would very likely result in losing her job.
 
#62 ·
why would he pm Mourier's wife on FB though?

What would he try to convey there?

p.s. except for players, tennis is just full of weird people all around. A majority of non playing tennis related people are just strange.
 
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#82 ·
why would he pm Mourier's wife on FB though?

What would he try to convey there?
that's what I was going to reply here about

viewing Magdi as some heavenly angel and the ATP as a hellish band of corruption and sexism is a childish way of trying to justify general anger towards ATP for whatever reasons

we only have the words of one man and an anonymous girl here, and everyone is acting like they solved everything and came up with the definitive verdict :spit:

I agree that all of this should be further investigated by a neutral body (BBC etc), but taking all of what Magdi said as the absolute truth is ridiculous
 
#63 ·
Nice artcle

Not surprised the ATP is largely "boys club"

The first incident with the female ATP employee and Sanchez does sound like a prank, though. But, there may have been other incidents with him before. It seems weird that she would burst into tears just based on that one seemingly harmless incident.
 
#65 ·
I just saw this article. Good stuff. ATP confirming itself as a ridiculously corrupt organization, FIFA level stuff. How desperately the fat cats in this mutual admiration society protect each other. Disgusting.
 
#66 ·
that's just one side of teh story mate and knowing Chris, it's been stretched and hyperboled to the maximum.

I don't see a hint of info about the FB messaging of Mrs. Mourier and that already tells me a lot. We wouldn't even know about it, if it wasn't in between the lines of the ATP letter to MS.

Which, of course, by the best blogger/journalist practices means that much has been withhold and the rest has been overstretched to have a case at the end.

This is advocacy and not journalism, that's why i'm always very careful taking sides with very, very one sided info.
 
#70 ·
There is no next move, I'm afraid. As basically a low-key blogger I don't have the credentials to seduce main figures to open up and really solidify the story, while those in the mainstream media who have won't touch it.
 
#77 ·
Wow: https://www.facebook.com/msomat/posts/10155958039027222

ATP and sexual Harassment, during writing ATP tournament report.
ATP supervisor, Thomas Karlberg ( Sweden)
ATP chair umpire, Cedric Mourier ( France)
ATP tour manger, Fernando Sanches ( Spain)
The poor girl talked to me then Lars Graff, and we helped her to send that email to ATP, and the result
I was suspended and my contract was cancel and never worked ATP event anymore, and Lars Graff said he had NO idea about that email,
Now the question if that,s your daughter or wife you will accept this guys to do that to her????????
From: Nannasvei <nanette85@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 11:47 PM
To: Magdi Somat
Subject: Re: Metz Indent(s)
Dear Lars,
As you already know - I was confronted in Metz by Magdi after he was overhearing some of the conversations in our office why I am allowing certain people to speak with me in that ways. He advised me to talk with you. I will try to collect some situations I remember (I have tried hard to forget most of the things).
During my first year (2012) I was working only on Challengers. I haven't witnessed any single bad behavior from anyone.
My first ATP tournament was in Brisbane - we met there for the first time. And on my very first day, when a lot of things happened - in the middle of a great mess and
talking with Ali Nili or Bram Tukker - an unknown yet for me guy - Fernando Sanchez took my computer and wrote in the conversation with them 'FUCK YOU!!!' and ran
away. Then (Ali or Bram) disconnected and I just started crying. It was my first (and last) public breakdown before I learnt how to deal with the situations like this. I
remember that you came to the office and asked me if everything was all right, I replied that it was not. Anyway, this situation completely destroyed me before I could
reach ATP and explained what happened. Nowadays Fernando loves to talk to everybody who would or wouldn’t like to listen about this as the MOST marvelous and
genius prank he has ever done and I guess he never said sorry to me even if I told him that I could be easily fired because of him.
My next tournament after that one was in Montpellier. I met Carlos Sanches, Cedrick Mourier and I believe Fernando again.
I don't remember the details, but I remember that was one of my worst tournament ever overall. I was sitting in the chair umpire office, but every time I came upstairs to talk with Carlos, they usually joked in French which I unfortunately don't understand.
I met Carlos + Cedric again in Estoril, they continued to talk only in French when I was present and one day when I pretended
that I understood something, they got scared. They kept asking me whether I know or French and how good is my knowledge. I am pretty sure it was just mocking but
as I said - I could not understand anything.
Until the end of the year I was working with different people, and I don’t remember any single sad moment about it.
I started this year in Doha (with Miro and Thomas) and it was a great time. However, my next tournament was Montpellier again and I felt for the very first time there that
I am not able to continue this work anymore and I started hating myself for that. Fortunately, the Flightscope crew was there so I was not alone. I don't remember the
conversations during the week (most likely I was talking about it to someone and possibly I would be able to find the quotes). One I remember was said by a man, who
after speaking with him never said anything like that again ("maria im booooooreeed show me your tits). I remember only the last day, Cedrik forgot his tablets which I
was supposed to update and he asked me to come to his hotel room. Then everybody started making fun of me that probably I will show him how to "plug in and plug out things' and how to "load stuff'. Anyway the conversation continued for a while, then I went out (ran away) to book a transport, then the conversation was continued there and I was really close to breakdown. I cried in the hotel and promised myself that I will not allow anyone to treat me like that anymore.
I asked at my Polish office if it was possible to assign me to different tournaments this year, but unfortunately it was not. I was in Estoril again. When I refused to join
the dinner I was asked to come to Carlos’ office and I was asked why I didn't socialize with the staff and that it could cause me problems in the future. I explained that I
was whole day working with them and I had additional job afterwards to do. He was also not pleased that I had been spending my spare time with the Flightscope crew
as well.
My next tournaments were Bastad/Gstad/Kitzbuhel with Tom/Carlos and Fernando.
In Bastad Fernando was enjoying himself with day-after-day talk such as: asking me about my sexual life in general (like what is my favorite sex position or sex toy, if I
watch porn and which kind etc etc.). I tried to ignore him or persuade him to stop. This kind of talking was mocking me but I have already knew him for a longer time so
just pretended that he didn’t exist (only when he was on rampage). He was talking all the time about sexy hot Swedish chicks and what he would do to them. It was more annoying or pathetic than offensive. However, I think that it shouldn’t have happened at all. On the official tournament dinner he got drunk immediately, and started talking random things, pretending to crouch under a table, pretending to give me condoms 'go girl and have fun' and other stuff I just kept ignoring. It was rather a
pathetic view. However, the hall was full and everyone could see this if only wanted to.
In Gstaad I was working with Carlos and Fernando as well. However, the most offensive and rude thing ever was done by Mr. Moscarella. (I believe I haven’t met him
yet or I met him on big tournament when I had no chance to speak with the umpires). The very first thing he said to me after entering our shared office was if i know his
hotel number and want to join him for a hard sex. That was the last thing I would expect to hear, I was shocked. He kept asking me that he has an empty room that we
could share, that afterwards we can take a hot shower and things like opening video with porn (I assume) and asking me if i would like to do that, if i can show him how
to upload matches in the tablet 'you put in it and out, in and out until it’s done - do you like it' etc. At the beginning I was too shocked to ever look at him, I didn’t even
know this guy. Then I asked why the hell he is acting like that towards me, so he replied that I provoke him. I was even more shocked, then he said (actual quote) 'you
provoked me because you have big tits and ass'. He stopped after a while, maybe it could be caused by my Flightscope friends checking on me from time to time and
asking me if everything is ok. Carlos was mocking me as well with such talkings like: after I fixed something for him 'soo you CAN do finally something.' (there was no
single problem I was not able to fix). After that he added 'just joking'. I know he has this kind of character but it was sad for me.
I spoke with someone about everything I wrote above, he replied that everything was my fault. I should rather adapt to it or change the job, because I can't change the
group of people who are working together for years. I must admit that it is somehow true, but I am not able to adapt to the situations like this. I have tried to ignore and I guess it was from one side a signal that I am not joining a conversation like that, but from another one that I am allowing ?these people to keep talking.
After these tournaments I have received a negative feedback from my Polish boss that someone reported that I stinked at work. I am not able to find out who did it, but it
was the worst thing that happened to me since I started working on tours. I was not confronted about it, it has been taken as a truth from the beginning. My boss told me
that he was not sure with who I had a fight or argue, but I need to be more careful. I didn't want to go on any more tournaments.
Later on I got the news that I would not work anymore on tour since the next year - my job has been switched to the office one.
In Metz this year Fernando was as usual, I have got to used to it. He was mocking me and Kristina Armstrong the whole week. Once one of the tournament hostesses
asked me and Tomas for a picture, then he looked at her and said ‘Meh, she is so so. An average girl, she was bad yesterday at night.’. He kept talking as well what he
would do to some of the girls behind their backs (it could be overheard easily as it was in a public restaurant and a corridor). He also asked one person how many guys
she had before she got married. I knew that it was my last tournament with him so I have completely ignored him, sometimes I have replied something which he didn't
expect and got irritated about.
I have to add that situations like that have never happened when I was working with anyone else who aren't mentioned here. It was always a really pleasant atmosphere. Also the situations mentioned weren't happening all the time of course, it was more a several minutes conversation per day then everything was going back to normal, but it was ?enough for me to make my day unpleasant and sometimes destroyed.
I guess I have wrote about most of the things I wanted to speak.
Thank you very much for that I was able to do that finally.
Maria
 
#83 ·
From: Nannasvei <nanette85@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 11:47 PM
To: Magdi Somat
he posted this on his own FB, revealing this person's email, a person who wishes to stay anonymous for fear of losing her job

really? how hard is it to censor such basic info?

things like this don't help your credibility or other's view of your basic sensibility
 
#84 · (Edited)
Great job CK. You have my respect.

How could none of the mainstream media pick up this? I hope Somat realises now is the time to reveal everything and to every media outlet, which is the only way he could be vindicated.

Somat should also try to sue the ATP for wrongful dismissal. Even if he loses the case ATP would be forced to be confronted on this issue.
 
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