Hearn backs Higgins

Hearn, chairman of the sport's governing body World Snooker, is of a mind that a regretful Higgins can handle any criticism that will inevitably come his way.

The Scottish player's suspension ends on November 2, freeing him to play in tournaments in Germany and the Czech Republic before the UK Championship in December.

Higgins is set to play Joe Jogia in a European Tour Championship event in Germany that runs from November 11-14 in Hamm.

Higgins was found not guilty of match-fixing allegations made against him by the News of the World newspaper at an independent tribunal in September, but was fined £75,000 and suspended for not reporting the alleged illegal approach to throw frames.

Pat Mooney, the former manager of Higgins, was permanently suspended by the governing body for his conduct. He sat with Higgins in the alleged meeting where fixing was discussed.

Ian Mill QC, who headed the disciplinary hearing, claimed that Mooney had put the future of Higgins in the sport "at serious and wholly unjustifiable risk".

"I'm very much looking forward to welcoming John back," Hearn told Eurosport. "It has been a traumatic period in his life, a period that he is going to look back on with a lot of regret, of course.

"But you have to wipe the slate clean and draw a line under it. What happened, happened and it has been dealt with in the appropriate manner by the proper independent authorities.

"Judgement has been passed on him and his manager Pat Mooney. That is history now. Come November when John returns to the circuit, he should be welcomed back with open arms.

"It is a clean slate. I know John as a person and I know he realises the damage to his reputation has got be repaired and I think he is a big enough man to do exactly that."

Hearn is of a mind that players such as Ronnie O'Sullivan and Higgins can be at the forefront of his bid to spread his gospel of the green baize across the world.

Speaking after agreeing a deal to stage the inaugural Brazilian Masters in Sao Paulo in September, Hearn said that he is already well on the road to staging ranking tournaments in all corners of the globe.

"The future at the moment is very rosy, but we have to remember the world is our market place," said Hearn.

"I think the United Kingdom has got a lot of good events to satisfy the needs currently.

"What we've got to do is look at new areas to take the sport to.

"As well at South America, we're looking to go back into Japan as snooker is considered a very upper market sport and that is something that appeals. There is room for expansion in China.

"The game has enjoyed spectacular grown in Europe mainly thanks to our Eurosport coverage. We've seen amazing interest in Germany, which has culminated in the staging of the German Masters in February next year which is already close to a sell-out at a venue that can reach 2,000 people. These are stimulating figures.

"We also get enquiries from Romania, Croatia and from Serbia. People there are watching Eurosport's pictures and thinking that this is a good game to watch, how can we get involved more in it.

"The future is looking very rosy."