10 Snooker Players Banned For Match-Fixing

This week the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has announced that they've banned 10 players who were found to have fixed matches.

The players were charged earlier this year for the match-fixing following an alert that was issued by the International Betting Integrity Agency. Now, the WPBSA's Disciplinary Commission has laid down the hammer. Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were both banned for life and will have to pay a penalty of £43,000. They were found to have fixed matches and solicited and persuaded other players to fix matches as well.

Other suspensions included Lu Ning was suspended for five years and four months, while Yan Bingtao was suspended five years. Zhao Xintong was suspended one year, eight months. Zhao Jianbo was suspended two years and four months, while Chang Bingyu was suspended two years. Bai Langning was given a two-year, eight-month ban. Chen Zifan was suspended five years, and Zhang Jiankang was suspended two years, eleven months. The players all had their bans reduced by the group after they pleaded guilty to the charges.

Regarding the penalties, WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said, "This has been a very complex case. It has been heart-breaking to see some young talented players fall foul of the WPBSA Conduct Regulations through pressure exerted by two senior players.

"This behaviour has been recognised as wholly unacceptable by the imposition of two lifetime bans from participating in recognised snooker in any way.

"Those who try to corrupt sport are constantly trying to find new ways to avoid our monitoring processes and this outcome must be taken as a lesson to those who think they can avoid detection. If any player is involved in fixing a snooker match, they will be caught and will face severe penalties."

IBIA CEO Khalid Ali added: "We would like to congratulate the WPBSA on successfully prosecuting this case. It highlights the vital role played by well-regulated betting markets in deterring corruption and sends a very clear message to all athletes about the risks of engaging in match-fixing."