Jimmy White laments 'really bad day for snooker' after Yan Bingtao suspended amid match-fixing probe

Updated 12/12/2022 at 14:55 GMT

The world of snooker has been rocked by news that Chinese star Yan Bingtao has been suspended from the World Snooker Tour as part of a match-fixing probe. Yan, who has the right to appeal, is one of the brightest prospects in the game having won the Masters title last year. He was expected to compete at this week’s English Open before the news broke.

‘A really bad day for snooker’ – White after Yan banned amid match-fixing investigation

Jimmy White has reflected on a “really bad day for snooker” after former Masters champion Yan Bingtao was suspended amid a match-fixing investigation.

Yan became the seventh player to be suspended as the World Snooker Tour probes match-fixing in the sport, with WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson admitting to Eurosport the news is “not a good look”.

Former English Open champion Liang Wenbo was suspended by snooker chiefs in October, while five other players – Lu Ning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning and Chang Bingyu – were suspended last week.

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The World Snooker Tour said in a statement that Yan’s suspension was relating to “an ongoing investigation into allegations of manipulating the outcome of matches for betting purposes.”

Speaking on Eurosport’s coverage of the 2022 English Open, which Yan was slated to play before his suspension was announced, snooker legend White spoke of his shock at the announcement.

“It’s a really bad day for snooker,” said White. “Obviously we’ve got to wait until the end of the enquiry to see what has happened. Every time I’ve seen Bingtao play, he’s always given 100%.

“This [match fixing] has to be out of the game, it has to be gone. You cannot have any crooked business in any sport, it has to be ironed out and I’m sure it will be.”

Yan won his first Triple Crown event at the 2021 Masters, defeating John Higgins 10-8 in the final.

“It’s terrible news,” added Neal Foulds.

“The ethos of sport is that you watch it and you don’t know who is going to win. I have to say having watched Yan Bingtao all of his career, I’ve never seen him give anything but everything on the table. So I’m very shocked.”

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