Black and White Snooker： ＂Aristocratic Movement＂ under the Shadow of Gambling
At the beginning of 2023, in the joy of the New Year, China snooker suffered a collective "landslide".
China Billiards Association issued a large number of suspension notices in a short time.
On January 3rd, the World Federation of Taiwan announced that China’s players Zhao Xintong and Zhang Jiankang were suspended from participating in the World Snooker Tour because they were suspected of manipulating the results. Subsequently, the China Billiards Association followed suit and suspended Zhao Xintong and Zhang Jiankang from all domestic billiards competitions. In addition, Yan Bingtao, Lu Ning, Li Hsing, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, Chang Bingyu, Liang Wenbo and Chen Zifan who were previously notified, in just one month, 10 China snooker players were banned by the World Federation of Taiwan and the China Billiards Association for allegedly gambling.
Among these 10 players, there are Zhao Xintong, who ranks ninth in the world at present, Yan Bingtao, a teenager born after 00 who is regarded as Ding Junhui’s successor, and Liang Wenbo, the backbone of the field for many years. Although the incident is still under investigation and the final punishment result has not yet been released, this pile of tickets for China players will have an immeasurable impact on the development of snooker in China.
I still remember that 20 years ago, people’s views on billiards were still at the stage of playing with things. In the dimly lit, smoky billiard hall, the "spirit boy" with a small split head, tight pants and pointed shoes was once the main audience of this sport. With the birth of Ding Junhui, billiards has gradually got rid of the label of "low taste" and "unhealthy" in China. In this context, more and more children have embarked on the road of professional snooker.
On the table, the black ball scored the highest among the 21 target balls. In pursuit of victory, the players racked their brains to hit the black ball into the bag. On the table, in the collision from white to black, countless records came into being and countless famous players stood out. However, under the table, the temptation of money makes this gentleman’s sport unable to escape the fate of being manipulated. When the voice of the storm is endless, can snooker, once all the rage, regain its former glory?
Data map: Yan Bingtao holds the championship trophy to celebrate. (Xinhua News Agency issued Benjamin Moore photo source: Xinhuanet)
The aristocratic movement kidnapped by match-fixing.
Snooker, tennis, golf and bowling are also called the Four big noble Sports. Turning over the history of snooker’s origin and development, the overlapping and intertwined figures of British aristocrats in previous dynasties are vividly on the paper. However, it is such a sport that is famous for its elegance and dignity, but it can never get rid of the shadow of gambling.
Since the establishment of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association ("World Taiwan Federation") in 1968, a large number of snooker players have been investigated and even banned for suspected match-fixing. Among them, the most shocking thing is the gambling incident of Scottish "wizard" John Higgins.
In 2010, the British media released a video of Higgins and his agent Patmoni, which showed that Higgins was involved in a shady and dirty deal. Higgins cheekily promised to "naturally lose four games" for about 300,000 pounds in cash.
Immediately after the video exposure, a "great earthquake" was triggered on the platform. However, it is intriguing that after investigation, Higgins was not identified as participating in gambling, and he was finally banned for only six months after escaping heavy punishment.
Data map: Higgins is in the game.
Coincidentally, in 2013, the World Federation of Taiwan announced that the talented player Stephen Li Yin had participated in at least seven match-fixing competitions, and was fined 40,000 pounds and suspended for 12 years. In addition to these two well-known players, Quentin Hahn, Rio Fernandez, Jamie Jones and others all bear gambling stains.
Even Joe Davis, known as the "father of modern snooker", has rumors of his "cooperation" with gaming companies.
Of course, it is now difficult to verify the fraud in the Joe Davis era. But this shows from the side that in the world of snooker, gambling seems to be commonplace.
"Rocket" O ‘Sullivan once said: "There are many people involved in the game of snooker, and Stephen Lee is just one who was unfortunately caught."
Sean Murphy’s social media screenshot.
Sean Murphy, a former world champion, also revealed in an interview a few days ago that one of the reasons for resigning from the board of directors of the World Taiwan Federation many years ago was because he learned too much multimedia and information that the public didn’t know: "I know too much about some players who are under disciplinary investigation. To me, the world is either black or white. But in recent years, the world has become gloomy, and we have changed from an old-fashioned black-and-white worldview to a rather opaque worldview. "
On the one hand, Murphy knows nothing about gambling. He thinks that once a player’s alleged match-fixing behavior is proved, the gambling player should be punished by life ban. On the other hand, Murphy didn’t choose to make the inside story known to the public.
At present, the world ranking. Image source: screenshot of WorldCom website
There is no surplus grain in the landlord’s house.
If we must explain the "gambling tradition" in the snooker world, then economic factors are undoubtedly Pandora’s box that has led a large number of players astray.
In the 1990s, snooker also had the glory of "not short of money". However, since the European Union did not allow tobacco companies to sponsor sports events in 2002/2003, snooker began to decline. The most direct performance is money, and the bonus of snooker has not risen with the economic development.
As the most influential and well-known event in snooker, the prize money of the world champion last season was only 500,000 pounds. This is in stark contrast to the millions of bonuses in tennis, golf and other events. If you are a fledgling teenager or a player with a low ranking in the tour, the income from participating in the competition can’t support their daily training and going out to play.
Snooker is not a profession with high return rate, which has become the consensus in the industry. O’ Sullivan once admitted many times that playing snooker doesn’t make money, and he doesn’t want his children to follow in his footsteps: "It’s a waste of life to be trapped indoors and hit the ball with one shot."
When the input is not proportional to the gain, some players go to the abyss of perdition for the benefit.
Data Map: Liang Wenbo is in the 2017 World Snooker Shanghai Masters Competition.
To be or not to be?
As a sport as famous as tennis and golf, snooker, once all the rage, can’t hide its decline under the background that all kinds of events are competing for the world sports world. Barry Hearn, former president of the World Federation of Taiwan, once said: "The market has changed, so has the way of entertainment, but snooker has not changed, and it is still so dignified and decent." The culture represented by snooker is getting farther and farther away from young people.
In order to change the decline, the World Federation of Taiwan has also made various efforts. Such as trying to join the Olympic family and exploring the China market.
In recent years, China snooker stars have appeared frequently, and a large number of snooker events have been held in China. The development of this sport in China has entered a fast lane. However, this time, many China players were caught in the gambling storm, which seems to have doused the "single spark" that can start a prairie fire.
Indulgence requires a fierce medicine doctor. Ferguson, president of the World Federation of Taiwan, said in an interview: "We are not afraid that the number of people banned will have a bad influence on snooker. No matter who he is, as long as he participates in it, we will strictly investigate it to the end, and he will inevitably be punished as he deserves. "
However, suspension is only a means, not an end. In order to save snooker, the World Federation of Taiwan may need to show greater sincerity, such as improving the ranking mechanism and trying to improve the treatment of players. In the face of the pressure of life, it is difficult to persist only by loving. Only by letting athletes see a brighter future can we retain people who really love snooker.
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