John Higgins vows to fight back on Bribe allegations
A day after A News of the World report claimed it secretly filmed snooker superstar John Higgins agreeing to take a £261,000 bribe John Higgins says he faces "the biggest match of my life" over allegations he agreed to throw frames for money. But the 34-year-old Scot released a statement on Sunday vehemently protesting his innocence. "My conscience is 100% clear," it read.
"Today is the start of the biggest match of my life. I will co-operate fully with the snooker authorities.
"Sadly, others have now damaged that reputation and it is now left to me to clear my name. I have never been involved in any form of snooker match-fixing."
Snooker's governing body has suspended the world number one pending an investigation into the allegations.
The video shows Higgins and his manager, Pat Mooney, supposedly meeting an undercover reporter in the Ukrainian capital Kiev and agreeing to alter the outcome of frames for money.
Higgins concurred with this claim, and, when confronted by a reporter of the paper after the undercover filming had taken place, said he feared he was dealing with the "Russian Mafia".
However, the newspaper has said its investigations editor had held three prior meetings with Mooney in Edinburgh, adding that Higgins and his manager did not "show any signs of being under duress or in any way unhappy at being in our company". The tabloid has promised to publish further revelations next weekend.
Former Metropolitan Police detective chief superintendent David Douglas will lead the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association probe into the claims.
The governing body's chairman, Barry Hearn, predicted the disciplinary process would take "days and weeks" rather than "months and months". "Basically that this is in my view such a level that if the allegations are found, then obviously his whole career is in doubt. He should be aware of that and give it some thought, obviously. Get advice, independent advice.
"I don't feel sorry for anyone. As much as I would class John as a nice guy, the game is at stake here. Whatever the penalty is, it sends out a message to everyone. This is a major international globalised sport, these are the rules, don't break them."
Former world champion Dennis Taylor said he agreed that anyone found guilty of match-fixing should be banned from the sport for life.
"Anybody involved in that, they've got to be thrown out of the game, because the game's integrity is at stake,"
"I've known John since he turned professional and in fact practiced with him when he was a young lad.
"It was a real shock because he's still the current world champion and world number one and I just couldn't believe it, so it remains to be seen about these allegations."
Taylor added that there was "quite a dark cloud" hanging over the Crucible Theatre, where the World Championship final between Neil Robertson and Graeme Dott - the latter also managed by Mooney - will finish on Monday. His resolve to continue with these reforms may be tested in the coming weeks; though six-time world champion Steve Davis says he expected Hearn's influence will be crucial in attempting to restore the game's integrity, which he claimed had "evaporated overnight".
"With Barry Hearn in the process of taking the game over, he may be able to cut the cancer out of it from day one," said Davis.
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