Another 8 people have been suspended for a long time and fined. The darkest moment of Chinese snooker: Liang Wenbo and Li Xing have been banned for life from the World | Player | Liang Wenbo

On June 7th, Beijing time, in response to several Chinese snooker players being accused of manipulating the game and temporarily suspended, the World Snooker Tour issued a statement: the independent World Professional Billy and Snooker Association Disciplinary Committee has ruled on 10 players accused of manipulating the game, and has imposed two lifetime bans on Liang Wenbo and Li Xing, as well as long-term bans on other related players. Liang Wenbo and Li Xing were banned for life, setting a precedent in the snooker world.

The situation in this case is that after the International Gaming Integrity Association issued an alert in August 2022, WPBSA's integrity department worked closely with Sportradar to conduct a detailed investigation, ultimately accusing 10 snooker players of serious violations of WPBSA's code of conduct. Before ruling on these violations, these 10 players were each suspended.

The case was heard in London from April 24th to 26th and on May 3rd, 2023, with the players attending the hearing in person or via video. Players are represented or assisted by the WPBSA Players Association as legal representatives.

On June 6, 2023 local time, the disciplinary court announced its investigation results on disputed allegations and its decision on sanctions.

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said, "This is a very complex case. It is heartbreaking to see some young and promising players violating WPBSA's code of conduct under pressure from two senior players. This behavior is completely unacceptable as they have been sentenced to a lifetime ban on participating in any recognized snooker game."

1. Liang Wenbo was sentenced not to participate in snooker competition for life and paid a fee of 43000 pounds.

Liang Wenbo was found to have violated the Code of Conduct, as follows:

·He manipulated or participated in manipulating five snooker matches from July 24 to September 28, 2022.

·During the period from July 24 to December 13, 2022, he solicited, induced, lured, persuaded, instigated or assisted players in manipulating 9 games.

·During the period from September 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, he violated regulations by betting on snooker matches.

·He threatened another player and asked him to delete information on his phone, which is considered corrupt behavior.

·He threatened another player in an attempt to persuade him not to assist in WPBSA's investigation.

·On or after September 1, 2022, when he became aware of WPBSA's investigation, he concealed or attempted to conceal his involvement in game manipulation by deleting information from his own phone and requesting other players to delete their phone information.

·He did not cooperate with the WPBSA investigation, did not participate in interviews, and did not provide the materials required for the WPBSA investigation.

2. Li Xing was sentenced not to participate in snooker competition for life and paid a fee of 43000 pounds.

Li Xing was found to have violated the code of conduct, as follows:

·He manipulated or participated in manipulating five snooker matches from July 24 to September 29, 2022.

·During the period from July 24 to December 13, 2022, he solicited, induced, lured, persuaded, instigated or assisted players in manipulating 7 snooker matches.

·During the period from September 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, he violated regulations by betting on snooker matches.

·On or after September 1, 2022, when he became aware of WPBSA's investigation, he concealed or attempted to conceal his involvement in game manipulation by deleting information from his own phone and requesting other players to delete information from their phones.

Lu Ning was sentenced to an eight-year ban, which was reduced to five years and four months until April 6, 2028, after his cooperation and plea, and paid a fee of 7500 pounds.

Luning was found not to be involved in inducing others to manipulate the game. He accepted the following charges:

·In the 2014-15 season, he manipulated three snooker matches he participated in.

·On July 23, 2022, he manipulated a snooker game he participated in.

·During the period from September 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, he violated regulations by betting on snooker matches.

·On or after September 1, 2022, when he became aware of WPBSA's investigation, he covered up or attempted to cover up his involvement in manipulating matches by deleting information on his phone.

Yan Bingtao

Yan Bingtao was sentenced to a seven-year and six-month suspension, which was reduced to five years until December 11, 2027, after his cooperation and plea, and paid a fee of 7500 pounds.

Yan Bingtao accepted the following charges:

·He manipulated a game he participated in on August 29, 2016.

·He manipulated three snooker matches he participated in between March 3, 2022 and September 29, 2022.

·During the period from September 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, he violated regulations by betting on snooker matches.

5. Zhao Xintong was suspended for two years and six months, which was reduced to one year and eight months to September 1, 2024 after he provided cooperation and pleaded guilty, and paid a fee of 7500 pounds.

Zhao Xintong accepted the following charges:

·He was another player involved in manipulating two snooker matches on March 3 and March 11, 2022.

·During the period from September 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, he violated regulations by betting on snooker matches.

6. Zhao Jianbo was suspended for three years and six months, reduced to two years and four months until April 7, 2025, and paid a fee of 7500 pounds after he provided cooperation and pleaded guilty.

Zhao Jianbo accepts the following charges:

·He manipulated a snooker game he was currently participating in on August 26, 2022.

·He placed a bet on the snooker game he was manipulating.

7. Chang Bingyu was sentenced to a three-year suspension, which was reduced to two years after she provided cooperation and pleaded guilty, and paid a fee of 7500 pounds.

Chang Bingyu admitted that he manipulated a snooker match he was participating in on September 28, 2022.

Browning was sentenced to a four-year suspension, which was reduced to two years and eight months until August 6, 2025, after his cooperation and plea, and paid a fee of 7500 pounds.

Browning admitted that he had manipulated a snooker match he was participating in on September 26, 2022.

9. Chen Zifan was suspended for seven years and six months, reduced to five years after he provided cooperation and pleaded guilty, to December 20, 2027, and paid a fee of 7500 pounds.

Chen Zifan accepted the following charges:

·He manipulated or designed, or participated in manipulating or designing, the results or scores of the three snooker games he participated in between July 24 and August 23, 2022.

10. Zhang Health was sentenced to a four-year and five-month suspension, which was reduced to two years and 11 months until December 1, 2025 after he provided cooperation and pleaded guilty, and paid a fee of 7500 pounds.

Zhang Health accepts the following charges:

He manipulated a game he was participating in on July 22, 2022.

·During the period from September 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, he violated regulations by betting on snooker matches.

·He did not provide the information requested by WPBSA.

The defendant may appeal the decision of the disciplinary court before June 20, 2023.

The sport of snooker has always been plagued by match fixing. In 2013, British player Stephen Lee, who was ranked fifth in the world at the time, was suspended for 12 years for playing a match match fixing. He was accused of playing a match fixing in 7 matches. He has had contact with three different football betting groups, which have placed bets on Li to win high returns. Stephen Lee ruined his career due to playing fake football.

The Chinese Billiards Association will issue an announcement as soon as the punishment results are announced. According to the announcement, the China Billiards Association attaches great importance to the manipulation of game results by 10 professional snooker players during their participation in the World Professional Ranking Tournament in the UK. According to the investigation results of the World Taiwan Federation, the involved players will be punished severely and severely. The association will carry out warning education throughout the industry and launch a series of measures to carry out anti gambling and counterfeiting activities to the end.

The China Billiards Association reiterates that it always upholds a "zero tolerance" attitude towards behaviors that violate sports ethics such as gambling and matchfixing, resolutely cracking down on such behaviors, and striving to create a fair and just competition environment.

The announcement also stated that in the future, we will further strengthen the management of professional players in the UK, strengthen cooperation with international organizations, and jointly prevent similar incidents from happening again. At the same time, we will continue to carry out governance actions in China to combat gambling and counterfeiting, rectify competition ethics and discipline, and purify the atmosphere of the competition venue. We will further improve and implement the Disciplinary Guidelines and Punishment Regulations of the China Billiards Association, promote the publicity and education of competition ethics and discipline to mass and commercial competitions, establish a supervision and reporting mechanism, and implement the work effectively.

Ding Junhui's emergence has gradually brought Chinese billiards to the world stage, and more and more overseas players have become a "Chinese power" that cannot be ignored in the professional stage. However, young players lack self-restraint and management, and even large-scale group manipulation and match fixing incidents have occurred, causing serious harm to the Chinese and even global snooker sports. The Chinese snooker movement, which has been deeply rooted in the past, should not only pursue a quick and successful training model at a young age, but also create a positive and healthy atmosphere for the growth of billiards seedlings through the joint efforts of families, schools, and society. Don't let the snooker movement be ashamed again.