Liang Wenbo publicly apologizes, snooker | Taiwan Federation | Liang Wenbo after a lifetime ban
On the evening of June 25th, former professional snooker player Liang Wenbo, who had been banned for life by the World Taiwan Federation and the China Billiards Association, issued an apology letter. Liang Wenbo publicly responded for the first time regarding his manipulation of game results, match fixing, and gambling scandals.
Liang Wenbo admitted to participating in the gambling game and admitted his mistake, officially apologizing. "I met some people in the UK who I shouldn't have met, and my lack of self-control laid a bad foundation for this series of events. I regret it in my heart and deeply hate my repeated foolish behavior."
But he also insists that he has never played a match in his professional career for so many years, and even after the match fixing incident, he was splashed with dirty water by malicious people, making himself an "unfounded" victim. "During the investigation, those with ulterior motives tacitly and unilaterally labeled me with several so-called 'inducing/coercing other players to manipulate the game' and 'threatening players to resist the investigation', successfully deceiving the censors and law enforcement officers. I deeply regret not cooperating with the investigation and giving a positive response earlier..."
In late October 2022, the World Taiwan Federation announced a ban on Leung Man bo from attending or participating in the World Snooker Tour. Subsequently, in December, seven individuals, including Lu Ning, Li Xing, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, Chang Bingyu, Yan Bingtao, and Chen Zifan, were suspended on suspicion of manipulating the game results for gambling purposes.
At the beginning of 2023, Zhao Xintong and Zhang Jiankang were also banned. With these two individuals being banned, a total of 10 Chinese snooker players in this incident were suspected of manipulating the game and were suspended. They were required not to attend and participate in the World Snooker Tour and other sports events managed by the World Taiwan Federation until all hearings were concluded and a final decision was made on the case.
The case was heard in London from April 24th to 26th, 2023, and on May 3rd. The players attended the hearing on-site or via video. On June 6th local time, the World Taiwan Federation announced that its independent disciplinary committee had released its investigation results and punishment decision: Leung Man bo and Lee Hang were suspended for life, and other players also faced varying degrees of suspension.
According to the investigation results, Liang Wenbo 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. In addition, Leung Man bo has also engaged in a series of behaviors such as betting on matches, corruption, and being unsuitable for investigation by the World Taiwan Federation.
After the relevant results were announced, the Chinese Billiards Association immediately issued a punishment decision for Chinese players who violated the World Professional Billie and Snooker Association Code of Conduct. Liang Wenbo and Li Xing were banned for life. The China Taiwan Association stated in a relevant statement that in addition to imposing strict and severe penalties on the players involved, the association will also carry out warning education throughout the industry and launch a series of measures to carry out anti gambling and counterfeiting to the end. It is mentioned that the China Billiards Association has always adhered to a "zero tolerance" attitude towards behaviors that violate sports ethics such as gambling and match fixing, resolutely cracking down on such behaviors, and striving to create a fair and just competition environment.
