Mark King has received a five-year ban after being found guilty for match-fixing.
An independent disciplinary committee found the snooker player guilty of one charge of match-fixing and another charge of providing inside information about a match.
As per the BBC, King must pay £68,000 by November 28 to appeal the independent committee’s decision, although he denies the charges.
In addition to this, the panel also reviewed accusations that King fixed a match against John Higgins on December 13, 2022 and also provided inside information, but those charges were dismissed.
Similarly, a former Northern Ireland Open champion was suspended by the sport’s world governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) on March 18.
After the suspension, WPBSA’s chairman, Jason Ferguson said in a statement, "I have known Mark since he was young, he is a very experienced player who has enjoyed great success, and I am deeply saddened to read the finding in this case."
He also added that the integrity of sports would always be the number one priority and that the case was a testament to the fact that no stone would be left unturned.
To note, King became professional in 1991 and reached his highest-ever world ranking of 11 in 2003.
