Mark King
Wikimedia Commons/ Benutzer:Bill da Flute

Mark King suspended from snooker

Mark King has been suspended from competing on the World Snooker Tour (WST), according to a statement by WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson.

He was withdrawn from the first round of the WST Classic in Leicester on Saturday 18 March, as his opponent, Muhammad Asif was handed a walkover.

The allegation concerns King’s 4-0 defeat to Joe Perry in the first round of the Welsh Open last month.

After Perry whitewashed his opponent, with King missing an unexpected number of balls by large margins, there were suspicions online that bookmakers had reported it in regards to potential match-fixing. A report from Medium a few days before the news of King’s suspension seemed to confirm both an unusually large exchange drift on the match, and the choice to temporarily suspend betting on King.

The statement from WST read: “WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson has today taken the decision to suspend Mark King from attending or competing on the World Snooker Tour with immediate effect.

King described his struggle with gambling addiction – it is estimated that he lost around £200,000 in bets.

“This follows an initial investigation of irregular betting patterns reported to the WPBSA on the match between Mark King and Joe Perry at the Welsh Open on 13 February 2023.

“The suspension will remain in place until the conclusion of the investigation or any subsequent charges that may or may not be brought. Mark King has the right to appeal this decision.”

King turned professional in 1991, and he reached a career-high world ranking of 11 in 2003. His only ranking title came with a win at the Northern Ireland Open in 2016.

After the win, King described his struggle with gambling addiction – it is estimated that he lost around £200,000 in bets.

He is the 11th player to be suspended as part of the ongoing investigation into match-fixing and betting irregularities, and the first English player. His suspension follows those of 10 Chinese players since October, including previous major champions Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao, a decision that Ferguson described as “heart-breaking”.

Their hearing begins on 24 April, the midpoint of this year’s world championship.

Comments (5)

  • Agree Simon. His safety play was excellent. Was just a man under immense pressure struggling to keep his place on the tour.
    Sarah Jane you need anger management therapy I think. Have a nice day.

    • Clearly watched a different game from me. The amount of simple pots missed by miles and zero cue ball control. Some of the pots would have been harder to miss than make. Looked like a below average club player at best. Think this along with the suspicious betting patterns gives valid grounds to suspend him whilst an investigation takes place.

  • I have watched the game..Mark did miss some pots by a wide margin but they were basically speculate attempts . His safety was spot on…I believe he got fed because of his lack of easy runs..most times he was picking up scraps. I don’t personally think there was anything amiss.

    • Who gives a shit what you think, who the fuck are you to come on here and give your opinions, no body fucking cares, did you think the wpsba would do, oh no it’s all right because Simon the fucking monk has watched it and thinks nothing is untoward, so he can join the tour again, fuck off Simon

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