This 12 months’s World Snooker Championship on the Crucible may very well be overshadowed as 10 gamers face an unbiased disciplinary listening to after costs associated to match fixing.
The gamers, which embrace former UK champion Zhao Xintong and ex-Masters champion Yan Bingtao, are presently suspended from the World Snooker Tour.
The WPBSA confirmed in an announcement: “The players will remain suspended until the outcome of the Independent Disciplinary Hearing is published.
“They will therefore not participate in any remaining World Snooker Tour events during the 2022/23 season, including the 2023 World Snooker Championship.”
But what have the gamers been accused of, and what is going to occur on the listening to?
Who are the gamers charged?
The 10 gamers dealing with costs are: Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao, Liang Wenbo, Li Hang, Lu Ning, Zhang Jiankang, Chen Zifan, Chang Bingyu, Zhao Jianbo and Bai Langning.
Zhao, presently ranked ninth on the planet, is the one one of many 10 who would have earned an automated invitation into the primary spherical correct of the 2023 World Championship, though Yan was additionally within the high 16 on the planet earlier than his suspension started and he dropped down the world rankings.
What have they been charged with?
Six gamers have been charged with fixing a match or matches, together with Yan, the 2021 Masters champion. Lu Ning, Zhang Jiankang, Chen Zifan, Chang Bingyu and Zhao Jianbo are the others to have been charged with fixing.
Liang Wenbo, the 2015 UK Championship runner-up, was the primary participant suspended final October. Zhao, in the meantime, has been charged with “being concerned in fixing a match on the World Snooker Tour”, together with Bai Langning.
- Liang Wenbo has been charged with worrying in fixing matches and approaching gamers to repair matches on the World Snooker Tour, looking for to impede the investigation and failing to cooperate with the WPBSA investigation.
- Li Hang has been charged with worrying in fixing matches and approaching gamers to repair matches on the World Snooker Tour, looking for to impede the investigation and betting on snooker matches.
- Lu Ning has been charged with fixing a match and worrying in fixing matches and approaching a participant to repair a match on the World Snooker Tour, looking for to impede the investigation and betting on snooker matches.
- Yan Bingtao has been charged with fixing matches on the World Snooker Tour and betting on snooker.
- Zhao Xintong has been charged with worrying in fixing matches on the World Snooker Tour and betting on snooker.
- Zhang Jiankang has been charged with fixing a match on the World Snooker Tour, failing to report approaches for him to repair matches and betting on snooker matches.
- Chen Zifan has been charged with fixing matches on the World Snooker Tour.
- Chang Bingyu and Zhao Jianbo have every been charged with fixing a match on the World Snooker Tour.
- Bai Langning has been charged with worrying in fixing a match on the World Snooker Tour.
When is the disciplinary listening to?
The unbiased disciplinary listening to is about to start on Monday 24 April at first of the second week of the 2023 World Snooker Championship. It will likely be chaired by Ian Mill KC.
Have there been any current breaches of snooker’s betting guidelines?
According to the WPBSA web site, the next gamers have breached betting guidelines since 2012.
Additionally, the WPBSA introduced in March that veteran participant Mark King, beforehand ranked as excessive as eleventh on the planet and the winner of the 2016 Northern Ireland Open, had been suspended whereas the physique investigated reviews of irregular betting patterns. The reviews associated to King’s 4-0 defeat to Joe Perry in the course of the Welsh Open earlier this 12 months.