Snooker-King banned for five years in match-fixing case

(Reuters) – Former Northern Ireland Open champion Mark King has been banned from snooker for five years after being found guilty of match fixing, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) said on Friday.

An independent disciplinary panel found the 50-year-old English player guilty of one count of match fixing and sharing inside information about the same match. He has also been ordered to pay 68,299 pounds ($86,644) in costs.

King was suspended by the sport’s world governing body in March last year after suspicious betting was reported on his match against Joe Perry on Feb. 13, 2023 at the Welsh Open.

He was accused of fixing both the Perry match and another against John Higgins in December 2022, along with providing inside information used for betting. The charges related to the Higgins match were dismissed.

No other players were accused. King, who denied the charges, has until Nov. 28 to appeal the ruling. Perry and Higgins were not accused of any wrongdoing.

“I have known Mark since he was young, he is a very experienced player who has enjoyed great success, and I am deeply saddened to read the finding in this case,” WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said in a statement.

“However, the integrity of this sport will always be our number one priority.”

($1 = 0.7883 pounds)