King loses appeal against snooker match-fixing ban
Snooker player Mark King has lost his appeal against a five-year ban for match-fixing.King was handed the ban in November 2024 after an independent disciplinary committee found the Englishman guilty of one count of match-fixing and one count of providing inside information on a match.The former Northern Ireland Open champion was suspended by the sport's world governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), on 18 March 2023.That was after suspicious betting was reported on his match against Joe Perry on 13 February that year at the Welsh Open, which King lost 4-0. Perry was not accused of any wrongdoing.King was ordered to pay over £68,000 in costs and banned from the sport for five years.King, 51, contested the punishment and his appeal was heard by an independent appeals committee on 8-9 April 2025.The former world number 11 presented four points to be heard within his appeal, one of which he chose to abandon at the start of the hearing.He stated that bettors placing large sums on 4-1 and 4-2, as well as the actual result of 4-0, weakened the argument that he had agreed to lose 4-0.King also argued that his relationship with one of the people connected to the betting was flawed.Finally, he complained that the disciplinary committee reached a number of wrong conclusions surrounding his form and an injury he was suffering with going into the match against Perry."Nowhere in this appeal has it been demonstrated that a factual decision is so wrong it could not have been reached, or an evaluative decision is so wrong that it can be said to be unreasonable," the independent appeals committee's final report stated.It added: "In our view the committee reached reasonable, rational, logical, clear and reasoned conclusions based on all of the evidence which they clearly considered carefully and we find no reason to interfere with the conclusions it reached."King will be eligible for a return to the sport in March 2028.
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Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
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The National
10 hours ago
- The National
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Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Man City's £348million XI of lost talent as Frimpong completes Liverpool move
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With a market value of £18.5m, the 22-year-old could be a steal for the Magpies. Jeremie Frimpong - £42m With a market value of £42m at present, Liverpool have managed to bag a bargain in signing Frimpong for just £29.5m. Speaking about the move with Liverpool's official website, the full-back said: "'It went quite easy. Liverpool came and said they had interest, and obviously for me it was a no-brainer. "For me, it was like, 'Whatever you guys do, just get this done', [speaking to] my agents: 'Just get this done.' Liverpool fans, I'm going to give my all, my energy, my work-rate and hopefully we can win together, we celebrate together, get everything together. "I'm just excited to be here. Thank you guys for accepting me and I won't let you guys down and I'll give you the energy that you guys want." 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He was also imperative in Chelsea's 2024/25 Europa League title, despite being relegated to the bench for the side's 4-1 win over Real Betis in last Wednesday's final. With a current market value estimated to be at £16.8m, City may be kicking themselves for letting the talent go. Eric Garcia - £12m Spanish centre-half, Eric Garcia, initially blossomed at the Barcelona youth academy between 2008 and 2017, before arriving at the Etihad - spending a further two years in player development before signing his first professional contract. Unlike many others on this list, however, Garcia did manage to secure game-time under Guardiola's first team - making 35 appearances for City and even receiving a Premier League winners' medal in 2020/21. However, potentially realising the error of their ways, Barcelona brought Garcia back to the Camp Nou in 2021 on a free transfer, tying him down with a contract until the end of the 2025/26 season with a £337m release clause bestowed upon his returning to the Spanish sunshine, Garcia has won to La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, and a pair of Supercopa de Espanas. At 24, Garcia has a current market value of around £12.6m, and it will be interesting to see if Barca offer him a new contract ahead of his current deal expiring, or if they will let him walk away once more. Angelino - £12m After enjoying time with Luis Calvo Sanz and Deportivo La Coruna in his formative years, Angelino arrived in north west England in 2013 at the age of 16 - spending another two years in the development sector of the club before signing professionally in 2015. After loan spells with New York City FC, Girona, Mallorca and NAC Breda, Angelino joined PSV Eindhoven in 2018 for a paltry £4.6m - having not made a single senior appearance at the Etihad. However, City seemingly made a huge mistake in letting the left-back go to the Eredivisie, as they utilised a buy-back clause and re-signed him after just one year at PSV for £5.3m. Despite high expectations, the 28-year-old totted up just 15 appearances for the side across all competitions, before he was once again sold on to RB Leipzig in 2021. After failing to find his footing in the Bundesliga, Angelino arrived at Roma in 2024 for a reported £4.2m, where he has impressed since. According to Transfermarkt, his current market valuation sits at £12.6m, and he is under contract with I Giallorossi until 2028. Romeo Lavia - £34m Defensive midfielder, Romeo Lavia, spent just one year with City in his youth after spending the bulk of his younger years with Anderlecht, but again, failed to make his mark with the Premier League giants. Lavia managed no Premier League appearances for the Cityzens, instead, demoted to playing for the U21 side between 2021 and 2022, before moving to Southampton in a £10.5m deal. After racking up 34 starts for the Saints in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, Lavia managed to avoid the relegation that his club suffered, as Chelsea snapped the 21-year-old up in a £53m deal. In the years since, the Belgian has made just 19 appearances for the side, and his market value has dropped to £33.7m - albeit, he is under contract until 2030. Aleix Garcia - £16m Aleix Garcia arrived at City in the summer of 2015, before receiving his first Premier League start under Manuel Pellegrini in September 2016, but failed to find a permanent place in the starting XI of the talent-stacked side. The midfielder made just nine appearances in total for the club, instead enjoying loans with Girona and Mouscron before he was moved on to Dinamo Busceti in October 2020 in a free transfer. A free move to Eibar ensued in January 2021, before the 27-year-old signed for Girona in the July - spending three years with the club. In 2025, Garcia finds himself as a staple of the Bayer Leverkusen team, and it will be interesting to see how the player adapts under the new management of Erik ten Hag when he arrives at the club in July. Under contract until July 2029, Garcia's market value is estimated to be at £16.8m. Cole Palmer - £101m Born and bred in Wythenshawe, Cole Palmer spent ten years of his youth with Manchester City before breaking into the first team in 2020. However, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder saw limited chances for game-time given the abundance of talent the club held. Palmer scored six goals and created two assists in 41 games across all competitions, before signing for Chelsea for a reported fgee of £40m in 2023 - a club where he has since gone on to be unplayable. With 40 goals and 27 assists in 91 appearances for the Blues, Palmer is considered to be one of Chelsea's most important players at present - and his £101m estimated market value is a testament to the skill that the youngster holds. He has also impressed at international level with England since making the move to west London, receiving 11 caps for his nation and making his mark at Euro 2024 despite limited game-time under Gareth Southgate. The future is certainly bright for the versatile star, who can also play comfortably on the wing. Michael Olise - £67m Michael Olise had the chance of picking up vital experience at a number of England's most prestigious academies during his youth, bouncing between Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Reading before breaking through with the latter in 2019. Olise was immediately deployed by the Royals after turning pro in 2019, racking up seven goals and 14 assists over the course of two seasons before moving to Crystal Palace in a £8m move. The 23-year-old held his own in the Premier League, enjoying three fruitful years at Selhurst Park before Bayern Munich came a-knocking in 2024 in a £50.7m move. With 50 appearances under his belt in the Bundesliga, Olise was essential to the Bavarians' league title this season, while he has also achieved six appearances with the French national team. His current market value sits at around £67m, but as he is under contract until 2029, Munich may not want to part ways with the winger any time soon. Jadon Sancho - 23m Jadon Sancho arrived at Manchester City as a youth in 2015 after spending the most part of his formative years with Watford. But he never got a chance with the Cityzens given the elite levels of talent they held when he turned professional in 2017. Without a single first-team appearance to his name, Sancho signed for Borussia Dortmund, going on to become a fan favourite at the Signal Iduna Park with a wealth of goals and assists. However, his career took a bit of a downturn when he returned to the north west of England to play for Manchester United in 2021. In 2025, Sancho has managed just 12 goals and six assists for the Red Devils thus far, and saw a half-year loan spell with Chelsea for the back end of 2024/25 - where he once again failed to find his footing with just five goals to his name. While the Blues saw a £20m obligation to buy embedded into the winger's contract as part of his loan deal, they may instead choose to execute a £5m clause which will see him return to United instead. With a market value estimated to be around £23m at present, and under contract until next summer, football fans may see Sancho find a new home in the current window. Ellis Simms - 5m Striker Ellis Simms spent a brief period of his youth with Manchester City before moving on to the Everton academy, graduating in 2020. However, the 24-year-old has failed to cut the mustard at the highest level of English football thus far. Simms made just 12 appearances for the Toffees between 2020 and 2023, instead enjoying loan spells with Blackburn, Hearts and Sunderland, before being sold to Coventry for an undisclosed fee. In 2025, the centre-forward has scored 26 goals for Coventry in the EFL Championship from 99 appearances. He has a market value estimated to be at £5m at the time of writing.
