10 Chinese snooker players face match-fixing charges after investigation of a corruption scheme

Ten Chinese snooker players face match-fixing charges after the world's governing body investigated the scheme. The BBC reported that the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, or WPBSA's, integrity unit, announced the incident on Wednesday. The alleged players include Yan Bingtao, the 2021 Masters champion, and Zhao Xintong, the UK Championship winner. Both were banned from competing in the Masters last week. WPBSA said, The players are currently suspended from attending and competing on the World Snooker Tour and other WPBSA-governed events until the conclusion of the hearing or hearings and the determination of this matter. The incident is the biggest corruption scandal in billiards and snooker. Yang Wenbo was suspended in October as part of the investigation and charged with being concerned in fixing matches and approaching players to fix matches on the World Snooker Tour, seeking to obstruct the investigation and failing to cooperate with the WPBSA investigation. The snooker governing body added that an independent disciplinary tribunal hearing would consider the evidence and deliver the verdict before the World Championship in April. The Masters and the UK Championship are the two most significant snooker events after the World Championship, not just in billiards and snooker. Ongoing corruption problems in Chinese soccer have also occurred in past years. In 2010, many of China's soccer sports officials, coaches, referees, and players were imprisoned over soccer fraud and for taking bribes. At the time, the South China Morning Post cited a noted writer from Inside Chinese Soccer, saying, In the general environment of Chinese soccer, nearly everyone takes bribes. So if you don't do this, you look stupid and silly. The corruption in soccer mirrors the general corruption problems elsewhere in China.