Latest news with #DisciplinaryCommission
Metro
4 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
How Chang Bingyu has exploded back from match-fixing ban to become snooker force
Chang Bingyu is enjoying a superb run at the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, ready to take on Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 16, and it has been an eventful journey to this point. The 23-year-old has won five matches to book his clash with the Rocket, winning three deciders before ousting Dave Gilbert and then Mark Allen in the last 32. The Chinese star is ranked number 104 in the world but is clearly a better player than that, as these results suggest. Chang is languishing near the bottom of the rankings as he has only recently returned to the professional tour after two years away due to a match-fixing ban. The talented young cueist was one of the 10 players banned as part of the match-fixing scandal which emerged late in 2022, with punishments dished out in June '23. World champion Zhao Xintong was another, although he did not fix any matches and received the shortest ban of the 10 as a result. Chang is the first to return from a ban of any of the players found guilty of match-fixing and he is making the most of it as his eventful life in snooker continues. Chang was a wildly talented junior player, winning the 2018 IBSF World Snooker Championship at just 16 years old, having made a maximum in tournament play at just 14. He joined the professional tour in 2019 as a teenager, moving to Sheffield as a result, and he picked up some encouraging wins, but the global pandemic disrupted his progress as he returned to China and missed some events. A run to the 2020 UK Championship last 32 was probably the highlight of his early pro career, before he was suspended in December 2022 as part of the match-fixing scandal. Chang admitted to fixing a match against Jamie Jones at the 2022 British Open, losing 4-1, but did so as a result of pressure and influence from Liang Wenbo, who subsequently received a lifetime ban. The Disciplinary Commission's findings read that Chang 'accepted that he on 28th September 2022 had fixed a snooker match that he was playing in.' He gave evidence to the commission that he was called by Liang Wenbo on the morning of the match 'with a threatening tone' and told that Liang 'had placed a lot of money on his bet without my knowledge, for my match with Jamie Jones that evening.' Chang 'reluctantly agreed' but said he never received the money he was told he would be given for the fix. The independent tribunal's findings on Chang read: 'We have found that Chang fixed or contrived, or was a party to an effort to fix or contrive, the result or score of a snooker match on one occasion. 'We note that, at the time that his match fixing took place, Chang was aged 20. He was young and impressionable and under the influence of Liang, of whom he was scared. Chang has given evidence that he thought Liang would take action against him if he did not comply with Liang's demands. We accept that, in all probability, Chang would not have offended absent that element of threat. He was also suffering financial difficulties at the time, he has shown genuine remorse for his actions and he admitted his office at the earliest opportunity. There is no suggestion that Chang committed any betting offence.' Chang was given a three-year ban in June 2023 for fixing a match, reduced to two years following early admissions and his plea of guilty, which kept him out of snooker until December 2024 – backdated to his original suspension. Chang quickly won his place back on tour after being able to compete again, winning the Asia-Pacific Snooker Championship by beating Ryan Thomerson 6-1 in the final in April. Now 23 years old, Chang has made a fantastic return to the professional circuit, starting with back-to-back wins in June over Dan Wells and Kreishh Gurbaxani in the Wuhan Open and British Open qualifiers. He didn't progress through his Championship League group, but only suffered one loss, to Ricky Walden. A perilous draw awaited him at the Saudi Arabia Masters this month but he has been brilliant, winning a string of close games. The Chinese star downed Marco Fu, Scott Donaldson and Wells all by a 4-3 scoreline, before beating Dave Gilbert 5-3 to reach the last 32. Former UK and Masters champion Mark Allen awaited him there, but Chang beat the Pistol 5-4 to set up Wednesday's clash with the Rocket. Speaking to World Snooker Tour about his return to the game, Chang explained the huge amount of practice he was putting in with his coach Li Jianbing back in China, before a move back to Sheffield. 'I was based at Coach Li's academy and the schedule was very structured, I would practise from 9am to around 8:30pm every day,' he said. 'Everything was very disciplined, and he really helped me get into good form. I'm now based at Ding Junhui's academy in Sheffield and I still have long, focused practice sessions daily, around six to seven hours.' More Trending He added that two of the brightest young talents in the game, Si Jiahui and Wu Yize, have been his rivals through their young careers and he intends to reach their level as quickly as possible. 'Over the past two years, I have gained perspective,' he said. 'Now I approach matches with a much calmer mindset. My goal is to catch up with players like Wu Yize and Si Jiahui. We grew up playing each other together, and they've both made great strides so I'd like to follow their lead. 'We've been close since we were kids. Seeing them succeed definitely motivates me to push harder.' Controversies and difficulties behind him, Chang appears to be ready to make a huge impact at the top end of the game. MORE: Ronnie O'Sullivan heaps praise on rival: 'Like playing Hendry in his prime' MORE: Shaun Murphy: Triple Crown events head and shoulders above Saudi Arabia Masters MORE: Defending champion Judd Trump stunned in Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters opener
Metro
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Chang Bingyu returns from match-fixing ban with back-to-back wins
Chang Bingyu has returned to the World Snooker Tour after the conclusion of his match-fixing ban and has kicked off his first season back as a professional with consecutive victories. Still just 22 years old, Chang was given a two-year ban in June 2023 for fixing a match, which kept him out of snooker until December 2024 – backdated to his original suspension. In April he comfortably won the Asia-Pacific Snooker Championship to book his place back on the professional circuit and has made a bright start to his return. It didn't look like it was going to be a winning return when Chang fell 4-1 down to Daniel Wells in Wuhan Open qualifying on Monday, with the Welshman knocking in two centuries. However, the Chinese youngster won the last four frames, with breaks of 84, 60 and 70 to dramatically claim a 5-4 win. It was a more comfortable victory on Thursday as he beat India's Kreishh Gurbaxani 4-2 in British Open qualifying, with breaks of 118, 93, 64 and 70. There is now every chance that Chang can make a big impression on the World Snooker Tour, maybe not to the same level, but as world champion Zhao Xintong has done since returning from his own ban. Chang was a wildly talented junior player, winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship at just 16 years old, having made a maximum in tournament play at just 14. His first stint on the professional tour did not yield many notable results, but has clearly spent his time away from the pro ranks working on his game, preparing for a return. Chang admitted to fixing a match against Jamie Jones at the 2022 British Open, but did so as a result of pressure and influence from Liang Wenbo, who subsequently received a lifetime ban. The Disciplinary Commission's findings read that Chang 'accepted that he on 28th September 2022 had fixed a snooker match that he was playing in.' He gave evidence to the commission that he was called by Liang Wenbo on the morning of the match 'with a threatening tone' and told that Liang 'had placed a lot of money on his bet without my knowledge, for my match with Jamie Jones that evening.' Chang 'reluctantly agreed' but said he never received the money he was told he would be given for the fix. The independent tribunal's findings on Chang read: 'We have found that Chang fixed or contrived, or was a party to an effort to fix or contrive, the result or score of a snooker match on one occasion. 'We note that, at the time that his match fixing took place, Chang was aged 20. He was young and impressionable and under the influence of Liang, of whom he was scared. Chang has given evidence that he thought Liang would take action against him if he did not comply with Liang's demands. We accept that, in all probability, Chang would not have offended absent that element of threat. He was also suffering financial difficulties at the time, he has shown genuine remorse for his actions and he admitted his office at the earliest opportunity. There is no suggestion that Chang committed any betting offence.' 10 players were banned in June 2023 as part of the match-fixing investigation, with Zhao and Chang the first two to return to the professional circuit. Zhao did not fix a match himself so received the shortest ban, but was punished for being party to another player fixing matches and betting on snooker. Chang received the shortest ban of those found guilty of match-fixing, due to the circumstances surrounding his case as he was believed to be caught up in the scandal against his will. The 22-year-old will look to keep up his 100 per cent record early in the season when he plays in the Championship League on July 3 against Ricky Walden, Steven Hallworth and Rob Milkins. Liang Wenbo has been found in to be in breach of the Conduct Regulations as follows:• That he fixed or was a party to fix five snooker matches between 24th July and 28th September 2022• That he solicited, induced, enticed, persuaded, encouraged, or facilitated players to fix nine matches between 24th July and 13th December 2022• That between 1st September 2019 and 31st December 2022 he bet on snooker matches in breach of the rules.• That he behaved in conduct that was corrupt by threatening another player and making him delete his messages on his phone.• That he threatened another player to seek to persuade him not to assist the WPBSA enquiry.• That he on or after 1st September 2022 when aware of the WPBSA enquiry covered up or attempted to cover up his involvement in match fixing by deleting messages on his mobile phone and by requesting that other players deleted messages on their phones. • That he failed to cooperate with the WPBSA enquiry by failing to attend interviews and provide material requested by the WPBSA enquiry. Li Hang has been found to be in breach of the Conduct Regulations as follows:• That he fixed or was a party to fix five snooker matches between 24th July and 29th September 2022• That he solicited, induced, enticed, persuaded, encouraged or facilitated players to fix seven snooker matches between 24th July and 13th December 2022.• That between 1st September 2019 and 31st December 2022 he bet on snooker matches in breach of the rules. • That he on or after 1st September 2022 when aware of the WPBSA enquiry covered up or attempted to cover up his involvement in match fixing by deleting messages on his mobile phone and by requesting that other players deleted messages on their phones. Lu Ning was found not to have been involved in inducing others to fix matches. He accepted the following:• That in the 2014-15 season he fixed three snooker matches that he played in• That he on 23rd July 2022 he fixed one snooker match that he played in.• That between 1st September 2019 and 31st December 2022 he bet on snooker matches in breach of the rules. • That he on or after 1st September 2022 when aware of the WPBSA enquiry covered up or attempted to cover up his involvement in match fixing by deleting messages on his mobile phone. Yan Bingtao accepted the following:• That he on 29th August 2016 fixed one match that he played in• That he between 3rd March 2022 and 29th September 2022 fixed three snooker matches that he played in. • That between 1st September 2019 and 31st December 2022 he bet on snooker matches in breach of the rules. Zhao Xintong accepted the following:• That he on 3rd March and 11th March 2022 he was a party to another player fixing two snooker matches. • That between 1st September 2019 and 31st December 2022 he bet on snooker matches in breach of the rules. Zhao Jianbo accepted the following:• That he on 26th August 2022 fixed a snooker match that he was playing in • That he bet on the snooker match that he fixed. Chang Bingyu accepted that he on 28th September 2022 had fixed a snooker match that he was playing in. Bai Langning accepted that he on 26th September 2022 had fixed a snooker match that he was playing in. Chen Zifan accepted the following: • That he between 24th July and 23rd August 2022 fixed or contrived, or were a party to an effort to fix or contrive the result or score of three snooker matches that he played in Zhang Jiankang accepted the following:• That he on 22nd July 2022 fixed a match that he was playing in• That between 1st September 2019 and 31st December 2022 he bet on snooker matches in breach of the rules. • That he failed to provide information requested by the WPBSA Punishments Liang Wenbo has been given a lifetime from snooker and is to pay £43,000 in costs. Li Hang has been given a lifetime from snooker and is to pay £43,000 in costs. Lu Ning has been given an 8 year suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 5 years and 4 months until 6 April 2028. He is to pay £7,500 in costs. Yan Bingtao has been given a 7 year and 6 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and plea of guilty, to 5 years until 11 December 2027. He is to pay £7,500 in costs. Zhao Xintong has been given a 2 year and 6 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 1 year and 8 months until 1 September 2024. He is to pay £7,500 in costs. Zhao Jianbo has been given a 3 year and 6 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 2 years and 4 months until 7 April 2025. He is to pay £7,500 in costs. Chang Bingyu has been given a 3 year suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 2 years until 7 December 2024. He is to pay £7,500 in costs. Bai Langning has been given a 4 year suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 2 years and 8 months until 6 August 2025. He is to pay £7,500 in costs. Chen Zifan has been given a 7 year and 6 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 5 years until 20 December 2027. He is to pay £7,500 in costs. Zhang Jiankang has been given a 4 year and 5 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 2 years and 11 months until 1 December 2025. He is to pay £7,500 in costs. MORE: Snooker chiefs reveal fines for Ding Junhui and Seniors champ for disciplinary issues MORE: Luca Brecel pulls out of British Open in bizarre start to his snooker season MORE: Three major World Snooker Tour events move to new TV channel
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🚨Line-ups confirmed for América v Cruz Azul
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. America and Cruz Azul face off tonight to determine the second finalist of the Clausura 2025, both teams arrive with very sensitive losses, as Ignacio Rivero and André Jardine will be present on the field of the Sports City Stadium due to a one-match suspension imposed on them by the Disciplinary Commission after incidents in the first leg game. Who will face Toluca? ¡Las 11 Águilas titulares que buscarán el pase a la GRAN FINAL! 🦅🔥 @calientesports📲 #JugamosPorMás — Club América (@ClubAmerica) May 19, 2025 EL ONCE DE LA MÁQUINA 💙🚂 — CRUZ AZUL (@CruzAzul) May 19, 2025 Don't miss the details of Cruz Azul - America 📸 RODRIGO OROPEZA - AFP or licensors
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🚨Disciplinary Committee announces ban for Diana García
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. After the injury Lizbeth Ovalle suffered in the Women's Regio Classic corresponding to the Quarterfinals of the Clausura 2025, the Disciplinary Commission decided to suspend Diana García, a player from Rayadas. Advertisement The Mexican Football Federation reported that Tigres Femenil requested García's disqualification, and this request was accepted on Wednesday. This Friday, the Disciplinary Commission announced that the sanction for the Monterrey player will be a one-match suspension. The incident occurred during the Return match of the Quarterfinals at the BBVA Stadium, when García committed a foul on Ovalle in the dispute for the ball. As a result, the Tigres player had to leave the field at minute 45, after the medical team's assessment determined that she could not continue. According to the medical report from the felines, Ovalle has a sprain in her left knee and a syndesmotic injury in her left ankle. However, it will be necessary to reevaluate her once the inflammation subsides to determine if she will require surgery. 📸 Azael Rodriguez - 2024 Getty Images
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Merrillville attorney accused of trying to start sexual relationship with client
Merrillville attorney Alfredo Estrada could face state disciplinary action due to a complaint filed by a former client who alleges that he tried to pursue a sexual relationship with her. Estrada, who represents immigration clients at the Burke Costanza & Carberry LLP firm and serves as Griffith's town attorney, is charged with violating multiple professional conduct rules by trying to coerce the girl to have sex with him and providing her money unrelated to covering litigation costs. In a verified complaint filed on March 25, the Disciplinary Commission said Estrada met the girl, who was under 18 at the time, in 2018 when her father was attempting to obtain a U-Visa, which provides victims of certain crimes a non-immigrant visa if they cooperate with law enforcement. U-Visa recipients can apply for permanent residence status after three years, and Estrada filed a petition for a U-Visa for the man and his daughter in February 2019. The girl accompanied her father to appointments and became the family's primary contact with Estrada, the complaint stated. The girl signed an agreement with Estrada to pursue relief under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in March 2021, but in May of that year, Estrada's office determined she was not eligible due to her arrival date. The complaint stated that Estrada and the girl communicated on a variety of issues, including work authorizations, updates on the pending U-Visa, employment issues, the possibility of her brother sponsoring them, paperwork, and documents from the IRS between December 2020 and Estrada's termination in mid-2023. The tenor of his messages to the girl changed in January 2023, when Estrada called and texted the girl to discuss employment options and asked her to meet him for a meal. She responded two days later that she didn't want to because Estrada is married, the complaint stated. He offered her opportunities to do translation work for him over the phone and in Union City, Indiana, but she declined to travel to Union City with him. Between January and May of 2023, Estrada and the girl communicated multiple times about finding her employment, including possibly cleaning his home, records state. He also offered to intervene with her former employer to get payment for the hours she worked. On May 4, 2023, she recorded a phone conversation with Estrada, where he said he wanted to get together with her and 'skip the games.' He said he would take care of her, and she would take care of him, the complaint stated. She asked what Estrada wanted from her and he responded that he wanted everything, including to have sex with her and become her sugar daddy. After the conversation, Estrada left her a message about work authorizations, records state. He said he provided her with various amounts of money to use for such things as concerts, restaurants and nail care. The girl met with a new attorney on June 26, 2023, and Estrada was terminated as her attorney. A hearing officer, attorney Clayton Miller, was named April 1 to hear the matter before any discipline, like a suspension, is handed down by the Indiana Supreme Court.
