- Mark King was found guilty of match fixing and providing inside information
- He had denied the allegations and the matter was heard before an independent commission
Snooker star Mark King has been banned for five years and fined £68,000 for match fixing.
The 50-year-old Englishman was found guilty of one charge of match fixing and one charge of providing inside information about a match after an independent disciplinary committee.
King was initially suspended in March 2023, a month after suspicious betting was reported on his 4-0 defeat to Joe Perry in the first round of the Welsh Open.
The former world number 11 was also under suspicion following his 4-1 defeat to John Higgins at the English Open in December 2022.
Following an investigation, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) referred King’s case for a disciplinary hearing in November 2023.
After King denied the allegations, his case was heard in May before an independent commission, which ruled that he “fixed or contrived the result or score of the Perry match, or was party to an attempt to fix the result or score of the Perry competition to establish or invent’.
Snooker star Mark King banned for five years and fined £68,000 for match fixing
The 50-year-old had denied the allegations and the case was heard before an independent commission
The charges regarding his match with Higgins were dismissed. A WPBSA statement confirmed that Perry, a former Masters finalist, and Higgins, the four-time world champion, “were not charged with any crime.”
King, whose only ranking title came at the Northern Ireland Open in 2016, has until November 28 to appeal.
WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: “I have known Mark King since he was very young, he is a very experienced player who has had a lot of success, and I am deeply saddened to read the finding in this case.
“However, the integrity of this sport will always be our first priority. This case is testament to the fact that no stone will ever be left unturned to ensure that the hundreds of millions of snooker fans worldwide, and our many global partners, can have complete confidence in this incredible sport.”
King’s suspension has done further damage to the sport’s image, coming shortly after ten Chinese players were banned in June 2023 for their part in a major match-fixing scandal.
Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were given lifetime bans, while Masters champion Yan Bingtao was banned from 2021 to December 2027.
Former world number 9 Zhao