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Wales Online
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Snooker ace who played in World Championship was handed lifetime ban from the sport
Snooker ace who played in World Championship was handed lifetime ban from the sport Liang Wenbo's career was poised to reach great heights after he made a surprise run to the quarter-finals of the 2008 World Championship, but it was cut short after he was found guilty of match-fixing Liang Wenbo was banished from snooker for match-fixing (Image: Getty Images ) Despite a once promising future, Liang Wenbo was permanently expelled from snooker after being convicted of multiple match-fixing offences. The 38-year-old was suspended in 2022 alongside nine other Chinese players in what is considered snooker's most significant corruption scandal. Other players who received bans include Yan Bingtao, Chen Zifan, Zhang Jiankang, Bai Langning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, Chang Bingyu, and 2025 World Championship finalist Zhao Xintong. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) issued suspensions ranging from 20 months to five years and four months to eight players. However, the harshest penalties were given to Liang and Li, who received lifetime bans from snooker. Liang first made waves in 2008 when he unexpectedly reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships, where he lost 13-7 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. He secured one ranking title during his career at the English Open in 2016, defeating Judd Trump. However, his career was abruptly ended due to allegations of fixing or involvement in fixing five snooker matches between July and September 2022, charges for which he was later found guilty. He was also discovered to have encouraged fellow players to fix nine matches and violated additional rules by placing bets on matches. Liang, who reached a career-best world ranking of No. 11 in 2016, was ranked No. 72 when his ban came into effect. It was also revealed that he had threatened another player and failed to cooperate with the investigation by the ranking body, even going as far as deleting messages from his phone. Article continues below WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson commented on the case, saying: "This has been a very complex case. It has been heartbreaking to see some young talented players fall foul of the WPBSA conduct regulations through pressure exerted by two senior players. Liang achieved a career high ranking of No. 11 in 2016 (Image: Getty Images ) "This behaviour has been recognised as wholly unacceptable by the imposition of two lifetime bans from participating in recognised snooker in any way. "Those who try to corrupt sport are constantly trying to find new ways to avoid our monitoring processes and this outcome must be taken as a lesson to those who think they can avoid detection. "If any player is involved in fixing a snooker match, they will be caught and will face severe penalties. I am pleased that the commission found that they did not see from the present case 'any evidence of a wider culture of wrongdoing in snooker'. Zhao is now competing in his first World Snooker Championship final Article continues below "The WPBSA will continue its strong stance against those who try to manipulate sport and today's outcome sends out a clear message that match fixing will not be tolerated in snooker." Zhao, who is currently leading Mark Williams in the Crucible final, made a return to snooker in September 2024 after serving a 20-month sentence. Although the Chinese star was not convicted of match-fixing himself, he pled guilty to being involved while another player fixed two matches and personally betting on games. In addition to his sentence, Zhao was also ordered to pay £7,500 in costs. He secured his first ranking title and Triple Crown at the 2021 UK Championship, defeating Belgian star Luca Brecel 10-5 in the final. His second triumph came at the 2022 German Masters where he defeated compatriot Yan.
Daily Mirror
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ex-World Snooker Championship quarter-finalist received life ban after scandal
Liang Wenbo was one of 10 Chinese snooker players suspended in 2022 as part of the sport's biggest corruption scandal, with two of them receiving lifetime bans Liang Wenbo, once a promising snooker player, was permanently expelled from the sport after being convicted of multiple match-fixing offences. The 38-year-old former star was suspended in 2022 as part of the biggest corruption scandal in snooker history, which also involved nine other Chinese players. Yan Bingtao, Chen Zifan, Zhang Jiankang, Bai Langning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo and Chang Bingyu were among the other players banned, including 2025 World Championship finalist Zhao Xintong. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) issued suspensions ranging from 20 months to five years and four months to eight players. But the harshest penalties were reserved for Liang and Li, who received lifetime bans from snooker. Liang first burst onto the scene in 2008 when he made an unexpected run to the quarter-finals of the World Championships, where he lost 13-7 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. He won one ranking title during his career, which came at the English Open in 2016 when he defeated Judd Trump. However, his career was abruptly ended due to allegations of fixing or involvement in fixing five snooker matches between July and September 2022, for which he was later found guilty. He was also discovered to have encouraged fellow players to fix nine matches and violated additional rules by placing bets on matches. Liang, who reached a career-best world ranking of No. 11 in 2016, was ranked No. 72 when his ban was enforced. It was later revealed that he had threatened another player and failed to cooperate with the ranking body's investigation, while also deleting messages from his phone, reports the Express. "This has been a very complex case," said WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson. "It has been heartbreaking to see some young talented players fall foul of the WPBSA conduct regulations through pressure exerted by two senior players. "This behaviour has been recognised as wholly unacceptable by the imposition of two lifetime bans from participating in recognised snooker in any way. Those who try to corrupt sport are constantly trying to find new ways to avoid our monitoring processes and this outcome must be taken as a lesson to those who think they can avoid detection. "If any player is involved in fixing a snooker match, they will be caught and will face severe penalties. I am pleased that the commission found that they did not see from the present case 'any evidence of a wider culture of wrongdoing in snooker'. "The WPBSA will continue its strong stance against those who attempt to manipulate sport and today's outcome sends out a clear message that match fixing will not be tolerated in snooker." Zhao, who is currently ahead of Mark Williams in the Crucible finale, was able to make a comeback to snooker in September 2024 after serving a 20-month sentence. Although the Chinese star wasn't found guilty of directly fixing a match, he admitted to being involved in another player's match-fixing while placing personal bets on games. He was also slapped with a £7,500 fine for costs. Zhao bagged his first ranking title and first Triple Crown title at the 2021 UK Championship when he beat Luca Brecel 10-5 in the final. His second victory came at the 2022 German Masters when he defeated fellow Chinese player Yan Bingtao.
Arab News
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
On Ramadan nights, Islamabad residents are all cued up and ready to win
ISLAMABAD: Usman Sartaj reaches for the chalk on the edge of the snooker table and rotates it over his tip in a smooth, circular motion. Then he strikes the cue ball hard into the pack of reds, sending them around the table. The popularity of snooker often increases during Ramadan, with many people visiting their local club after breaking their fast. Things are no different in Islamabad where players like 25-year-old car dealer Sartaj spend their nights before the pre-dawn sahoor meal. 'There is a lot of buzz in snooker clubs during Ramadan,' he told Arab News at the Snooker 13 club in the city's G-13 area where he was playing after offering his Tarawih prayers. 'Snooker is a great game. It eliminates a person's tension and stress. Tournaments are held and players come from different places,' he said. Abdul Hadi, the club supervisor, said that the number of visitors rose from about 500 a day to 1,500 or 1,600 during the hours between the iftar and suhoor meals. He said it was an affordable way to spend the time. 'It's around Rs150-200 (50-70 cents) for a frame,' he said. 'So everyone can afford it, even the students.' Muhammad Shahbaz, 27, who works in Dubai but was in Pakistan to spend Ramadan and Eid with his family, said his favorite player was seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. 'We admire Ronnie's game and love to watch and follow him,' Shahbaz said. 'We try to follow his tricks and his shots.' Pakistan also has its snooker heroes. Muhammad Asif is a three-time world amateur champion and made the last 32 of the English Open in 2023. 'There is a lot of snooker talent in Pakistan and if we want to promote it, the government has to support it,' Shahbaz said. Shavez Ahmed, a 30-year-old realtor, said there was no doubt snooker was one of the most popular games during Ramadan. 'Other games are impressive — we play cricket and badminton as well — but the craze for snooker in Ramadan never ends.'
South China Morning Post
07-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
World Grand Prix: John Higgins enjoys ‘stunning' Hong Kong after banishing ‘negative energy'
The four-time world snooker champion John Higgins said he had survived a constant battle with 'negative thoughts and negative energy' to embark on his nine-match winning run in mainland China and Hong Kong. Advertisement An immaculate Higgins beat world No 2 Kyren Wilson 4-2 at Kai Tak Arena on Thursday to advance to Friday's World Grand Prix quarter-finals. Last week, Higgins won the World Open in Yushan to end a four-year trophy drought. The 49-year-old, who has won 32 ranking titles, had lost his previous five finals. In 2021, he was beaten 9-8, from 8-6 up, in both the Northern Ireland Open and English Open finals. The following year, he surrendered the last six frames of the Tour Championship final to lose 10-9 to Neil Robertson. Higgins, who compiled a tournament-high 143 break against Wilson, told the Post: 'As you get older, you have more negative thoughts and more negative energy inside you, so it's a constant battle to try to get over the winning line. '[After winning World Open] last week, things have lifted. I'm enjoying snooker, and wanting to play. Before, I was waiting for bad things to happen, which is no use, especially at this level where all players are animals on the table.' Higgins breaks off during his win over Mark Davis at the 2025 World Open in Yushan. Photo: Xinhua World No 8 Higgins, who overcame Ali Carter 4-3 in round one, said talking to a sports psychologist last year had 'helped a little bit'.
