SAD NEWS: Two snooker stars have been banned for life, while eight other players have been punished for match-fixing.
Liang Wenbo and Li Hang have been banned from snooker for life for their roles in the match-fixing incident.
Snooker’s match-fixing scandal has resulted in massive punishments for all ten players convicted, with Liang Wenbo and Li Hang banished for life. The snooker world was stunned at the start of the year when it was discovered that Wenbo and Hang were the ringleaders of the match-fixing conspiracy.
The other eight were Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao, Lu Ning, Zhang Jiankang, Chen Zifan, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, and Chang Bingyu, all of whom were named and suspended at the start of the year. The punishments for the persons implicated have now been revealed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) Disciplinary Commission.
Wenbo and Hang will never be able to play professional snooker again, and they will be fined £43,000 in total. All eight other players have received varying suspensions, with Xintong, who won the UK Championship in 2021, receiving the shortest suspension of one year and eight months.
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson, said: “This has been a very complex case. It has been heartbreaking 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. I am pleased that the Commission found that they did not see from the present case ‘any evidence of a wider culture of wrongdoing in snooker’.
“The WPBSA will continue its strong stance against those who try to manipulate sport and today’s outcome sends out a clear message that match-fixing will not be tolerated in snooker.”
The case was heard in the end of April, during the 2023 World Snooker Championship, and all of the players charged were there in person or via video link. Players have until June 20 to file an appeal.
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