Professional snooker if facing its biggest ever corruption scandal with 10 Chinese players facing match-fixing charges.
The governing bodies are investigating multiple allegations concerning manipulating games, approaching fellow players to cheat, betting on snooker results and fixing the outcome of a match. Any player found guilty of the charges is likely to face a lengthy, if not lifetime, ban from the sport.
The saga was ignited in October when 2016 English Open Liang Wenbo was suspended by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA). That sparked a domino effect with nine of his compatriots following suit, most notably 2021 Masters champion Yan Bingtao and that year’s UK Championship winner Zhao Xintong.
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Both stars had been due to compete in last week’s Masters at the Alexandra Palace, a tournament reserved for the top 16 ranked players in the world. There absence cast a shadow over the Triple Crown event, which was won by Judd Trump after he toppled Mark Williams in a tense final.
An independent hearing will now consider the evidence, but according to a report by the BBC, there is no separate police investigation at this stage: “These players are from China. At some point, if found guilty, they will return to their home country and it is still possible that criminal prosecution could take place outside of the sport in China,” said WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson.
Ferguson conceded: “The whole process has been very upsetting and potentially life changing for people,” but aid the sport would return the China, despite the country not hosting an event since the Covid pandemic: “It’s a big commercial market for snooker. Despite this ongoing issue, the mood about our events is very positive. Our return to China is inevitable,” he added.
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(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
The WPBSA itself said they had concluded the players had a case to answer after an investigation by its integrity unit, who had worked in tandem with Sportradar, a company which assesses betting: “The players are currently suspended from attending and competing on the World Snooker Tour and in other WPBSA governed events until the conclusion of the hearing or hearings and the determination of this matter,” read a released statement.
Outlining the next step, they added: “This matter will be referred to a formal hearing before an independent disciplinary tribunal that will take place at a venue and on a date to be confirmed.”
As well as the three high-profile stars, Li Hang, Lu Ning, Zhang Jiankang, Chen Zifan, Chang Bingyu, Zhao Jianbo, and Bai Langning also face charges. Snooker legend Steve Davis has slammed the “breathtaking level of stupidity” from the players involved.
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This post appeared first on Daily Star – Snooker.
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