Snooker player John Higgins innocent of match fixing
People are passionate about sport, whether they play or not. Most people ardently support their team regardless of its short comings and sometimes will delude themselves into believing that only their team can win whatever championship it is competing in. Supporting one’s team is not just about the glory of winning but about loyalty and passion as well. Given all that, it is no surprise that betting over the outcome of a game is a common practice. Now let’s take all that to a higher level, where the bet involves more money than one could earn in an honest day’s work. When the stakes are high, it is in everyone’s interest that their proposed side wins. Alas, there can only be one winner, so the losing side will endure losses, heavy or otherwise, once the fat lady has sung. That is why people who are most likely on the losing end of the bet would like to “fix” a match in order to turn the tables or well in order to ensure that they get money worth their “faith” in a particular side.
Match fixing has major repercussions for all stakeholders; the middle man gets money for fixing the match, the player who agrees to lose on purpose gets big bucks for risking his reputation and what not, the betters get their dues and most importantly the rest of the world that is watching gets CHEATED!!!
In that context John Higgins, world famous snooker player, and manager Pat Mooney were alleged to have agreed to fix a match. The evidence against them included an expose by tabloid News of the World and a video of the meeting in which the whole deal was made. Consequently since May 2010 John Higgins was suspended and not allowed to play any snooker game till he was proven innocent. A full investigation into the case was launched by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and was led by a former police chief David Douglas. The Sporting Intelligence website claimed that the video had been tampered with and that the voice track was manipulated. The findings of the investigation were presented on 7th September 2010 to Sport Resolutions, an independent dispute resolution service.
The hearing was presided over by Ian Mill QC who has had former experience with sporting cases including football player Rio Ferdinand’s suspension for failing to show up at a drugs test. The outcome of the hearing was a ruling in favor of Higgins but not his manager Mooney.
The pair was charged with the following:
“Rule 3.1.2.2 (Charge 1) Agreeing or offering to accept a bribe, bribes or other reward to fix or otherwise to influence improperly the result of a Tournament or Match.
Rule 3.1.4.1 (Charge 2) Agreeing to engage in corrupt or fraudulent conduct.
Rule 3.1.5.1 (Charge 3) Intentionally giving the impression to others that they were agreeing to act in breach of the Betting Rules.
Rule 3.1.4.4 (Charge 4) Failing to disclose promptly to the Association full details of an approach or invitation to act in breach of the Betting Rules.”
It was evident in the ruling that Higgins was not properly informed about the meeting with the match fixer in Kiev on April 30 entailed. Moreover Higgins was only forewarned of a slight possibility that “the subject of throwing frames may arise as part of the overall business discussion”. The ruling cited Higgins natural impulse to avoid confrontation as his reason for “playing along” with the match-fixing discussion. It was established that Higgins had no real intention of throwing the match or losing frames. Higgins was acquitted of charges 1 and 2.
According to the ruling Higgins suspension from snooker will end on midnight of November 1st 2010 and he will have to pay a total of 85,000 pounds.
Higgins’ business partner, Mooney on the other hand, had “in fact intended to act fraudulently and corruptly as alleged”. The Sporting Intelligence website further states that Mooney’s defense argued such that he too was acquitted of charges 1 and 2. Mooney was considered responsible for leading Higgins into the meeting and held accountable for knowing about the prospect of match fixing long before the actual meeting itself. Therefore Mooney’s suspension from the Snooker Association will now be made permanent. Mooney will pay 25,000 pounds as contribution to the Association’s costs.
Though Higgins can now play snooker, his reputation has been marred by these allegations and he will have to be careful of such traps in the future.
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