Tunisia has been suspended from the Davis Cup after tennis player Malek Jaziri was ordered not to compete against an Israeli opponent last month.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said there was no room for prejudice in sport and the one-year ban was a “fitting penalty”.

Malek Jaziri withdrew from the Tashkent Challenger last month ahead of a match against Amir Weintraub.

Malek Jaziri withdrew from the Tashkent Challenger last month ahead of a match against Amir Weintraub

He was cleared of wrongdoing.

Officials found Malek Jaziri – who had claimed to be suffering from a knee injury – had been ordered to pull out of the match.

The ITF board voted unanimously to suspend the Tunisian Tennis Federation for one year from the Davis Cup, one of the most important tournaments in men’s tennis.

“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,” said ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti.