Snooker Match Fixing, John Higgins and Pat Mooney

This is a brief summary of the accusations against John Higgins and Pat Mooney of fixing snooker matches in 2010.

Snooker Match Fixing, John Higgins and Pat Mooney

World number one and three time world champion John Higgins and his manager Pat Mooney, a board member of the world governing body of the sport, the World Professional and Billiards and Snooker Association, were accused of taking bribes to throw snooker frames in a series of snooker events.

The allegations came to light after a controversial newspaper sting operation by a News of the World team posing as promoters, who met with Higgins and his manager in a hotel room in Kiev, Ukraine, under the pretense of organizing a series of events linked to the World Series of Snooker.

The newspaper alleged that Higgins and Mooney had agreed to lose four frames in four separate tournaments in exchange for a €300,000 total payment, and further discussed the mechanics of how to fix a frame, which tournaments and opponents to choose, and how to transfer the money to Higgins.

Higgins was immediately suspended from the game and Mooney resigned from his position on the WPBSA board. Higgins issued a statement on the same day as the allegations were published denying he had ever been involved in match-fixing, and explained that he decided to "play along" out of fear for his safety, suspecting the involvement of the Russian mafia.

The independent tribunal that followed concluded that Higgins had truthfully accounted for his words and actions. Based on that the charges of match-fixing were withdrawn, but Higgins was found guilty of “giving the impression” he would breach betting rules, and of failing to report the approach. Higgins received a six-month ban and was fined £75,000.

Title: Snooker Match Fixing, John Higgins and Pat Mooney
Author: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)
Published: 1/23/2017 4:22:45 PM
Last Updated: 1/23/2017 4:44:23 PM
Last Updated By: billiardsforum

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