It is more than a decade since the late Willie Thorne described match-fixing in snooker as “endemic” after revealing he had been offered money to fix a match during his playing career. Allegations of corruption on the baize are nothing new, as evidenced by Thorne’s claims, plus suspensions for Stephen Lee and John Higgins in recent years. Snooker has shown it will get tough when it counts.
Higgins’s suspension in 2010 after he admitted breaching betting rules – the then world No 1 was cleared of match-fixing but found guilty of lesser charges – prompted the sport to set up an integrity unit to stamp out corruption. But on the eve of its most prestigious invitational tournament, snooker finds itself in the midst of a fresh crisis.
The Masters, one of snooker’s triple crown events, begins on Sunday in London under a cloud. Ten Chinese players have been suspended by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) as an investigation into alleged match-fixing continues. On Tuesday, the world No 9, Zhao Xintong, became the highest-profile player to join that list.
Zhao and the 2021 Masters champion, Yan Bingtao, have been removed from the draw while eight other professionals from China – Zhang Jiankang, Liang Wenbo, Lu Ning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, Chang Bingyu and Chen Zifan – are also suspended. The allegations remain exactly that at present but the image this projects of snooker at its elite level is far from healthy. One player being investigated would be worrying. Ten? That arguably casts a shadow over the sport like never before.
“It’s very disappointing and as a player, very upsetting,” says Shaun Murphy, the world No 11. “The vast majority of players want to come into the sport and leave it in a better condition than when we arrived.
“Any players who are found guilty have betrayed the trust of everyone: the players, the administrators but most importantly, the fans. They are people you’ve shaken hands with before games and they’ve betrayed you. That leaves a real empty feeling.”
However, this latest scandal feels like it could cause much more long-term damage given the sport’s growth in China in the past decade. Hundreds of millions of Chinese watch the world championship final and the game’s popularity has exploded there since the emergence of Ding Junhui as a teenage sensation.
Pre-pandemic, elite players took frequent trips to China to play in front of huge crowds and the number of Chinese players on the World Tour underlines the visibility and revenue the country can offer.
Professional snooker has not been to China since the pandemic began due to the strict lockdown regulations, but there had been hopes that with the country loosening its rules, this could be the year snooker returns to east Asia. This investigation casts doubt over that.
“This could do some real damage to the sport and have a knock-on effect to the reinsertion into China,” Murphy says. “We’ve been eagerly waiting for Chinese tournaments to return and as soon as things begin to loosen we’ve got this scandal emerging. The damage any players who are found guilty are doing to this sport is frightening. We won’t really know the scale of it for some time.”
The WPBSA this week said its investigation is now at an “advanced stage” and will be completed shortly before considering potential charges. None of the 10 players suspended has commented publicly on the allegations, but snooker has shown with Lee’s 12-year ban – which he is still serving – that it is not afraid to be tough on those found guilty of match-fixing.
“There’s a lot of people in agreement about total life bans for cheats, but I think that’s probably unattainable in law,” Murphy says.
Steve Davis has described the ongoing investigation into alleged match-fixing as “embarrassing” for the sport, and says any player found guilty of the offence will have shown a “breathtaking level of stupidity”.
This year’s Masters tournament got under way at Alexandra Palace on Sunday without Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao, who are two of 10 Chinese players currently suspended from the tour pending the outcome of a probe by the sport’s world governing body, the WPBSA.
The three-time Masters champion Davis told BBC Sport: “If the allegations are proven to be true, it shows a breathtaking level of stupidity by these players, but this is still to be developed.
“It’s embarrassing. I think all the players are aware of the situation and fortunately the WPBSA is on top of it. What effect it has on the game, it’s hard to evaluate at the moment.”
Davis expressed fears that the allegations could have a negative impact on the sport in China, which has been frozen out of the tour since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Talks have been ongoing about the sport’s return to China in light of recently relaxed regulations but such a move now appears to be in jeopardy.
“What effect it has in China is even harder to say,” added Davis. “It may have a detrimental effect on events over there – let’s hope not.
Throughout the Masters there will undoubtedly be much attention paid to the investigation, suspensions and potential ramifications for any player found guilty. Murphy remains hopeful those who are at the Alexandra Palace can shine a positive light back on the game.
“It’s the biggest invitational event in the sport and it’s a great opportunity to put on a show,” he says. “It’s sad we’ve got 10 professionals suspended over these allegations, but there are 16 of us who can turn the tide. I’m proud of the way my sport has handled this. We haven’t swept it under the carpet, we’ve been bold and strong and that’s to be applauded.”
