The CBSA issues their own punishments on the 10 Chinese players involved in match fixing

Monique Disciplinary matter

Here is the CBSA announcement:

as translated by google translate

The Chinese Billiards Association’s violation of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association

Code of Conduct Punishment decisions for Chinese players

10 Chinese professional snooker players participated in the World Professional Snooker Event hosted by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), and violated the WPBSA code of conduct by manipulating the results of the game, Beijing time on June 7 The WPBSA announced the penalty decisions for the 10 players. In order to rectify the past and learn from the past, the China Billiards Association, in accordance with the “Sports Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “China Billiards Association Professional Players Committee Management Regulations” Article 22 and Article 32 and the “China Billiards Association Disciplinary Guidelines and Penalties According to Articles 5, 7 and 10 of the Regulations, the 10 players will be punished as follows:

  1. Liang Wenbo and Li Xing are punished with a lifetime ban, and they are prohibited from participating in all billiards matches and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.
  2. Lu Ning will be suspended for 8 years until December 6, 2030. During the suspension period, he is prohibited from participating in all billiards events and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.
  3. Suspend Yan Bingtao for 7 years and 6 months until May 11, 2030. During the suspension period, he is prohibited from participating in all billiards events and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.
  4. Chen Zifan will be suspended for 5 years until December 20, 2027. During the suspension period, he is prohibited from participating in all billiards events and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.
  5. Zhang Jiankang will be suspended for 4 years and 5 months until May 1, 2027. During the suspension period, he is prohibited from participating in all billiards events and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.
  6. Bai Langning will be suspended for 4 years until December 6, 2026. During the suspension period, he is prohibited from participating in all billiards events and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.
  7. Zhao Xintong will be suspended for 2 years and 6 months until July 1, 2025. During the suspension period, he is prohibited from participating in all billiards events and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.
  8. Zhao Jianbo will be suspended for 2 years and 4 months until April 7, 2025. During the suspension period, he is prohibited from participating in all billiards events and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.
  9. Chang Bingyu will be suspended for 2 years until December 7, 2024. During the suspension period, he is prohibited from participating in all billiards events and activities in mainland China in any form and in any capacity.

For the record those were the WPBSA/WST decisions

the other players concerned.

  1. Liang Wenbo has been given a lifetime ban from snooker and is to pay £43,000 in costs.
  2. Li Hang has been given a lifetime ban from snooker and is to pay £43,000 in costs.
  3. Lu Ning has been given an 8 year suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 5 years and 4 months until 6 April 2028. He is to pay £7,500 in costs.
  4. Yan Bingtao has been given a 7 year and 6 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and plea of guilty, to 5 years until 11 December 2027. He is to pay £7,500 in costs.
  5. Zhao Xintong has been given a 2 year and 6 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 1 year and 8 months until 1 September 2024. He is to pay £7,500 in costs.
  6. Zhao Jianbo has been given a 3 year and 6 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 2 years and 4 months until 7 April 2025. He is to pay £7,500 in costs.
  7. Chang Bingyu has been given a 3 year suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 2 years until 7 December 2024. He is to pay £7,500 in costs.
  8. Bai Langning has been given a 4 year suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 2 years and 8 months until 6 August 2025. He is to pay £7,500 in costs.
  9. Chen Zifan has been given a 7 year and 6 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 5 years until 20 December 2027. He is to pay £7,500 in costs.
  10. Zhang Jiankang has been given a 4 year and 5 months suspension, reduced following early admissions and his plea of guilty, to 2 years and 11 months until 1 December 2025. He is to pay £7,500 in costs.

Interestingly there is no “shortening” of the suspension period in the CBSA decision. As a result many of them will be prevented to play in China for longer than in the UK.

PlayerSuspended until in the UKSuspended until in China
Liang Wenboforeverforever
Li HangforeverForever
Yan Bingtao11 December 202711 May 2030
Lu Ning6 April 20286 December 2030
Zhao Xintong1 September 20241 July 2025
Zhao Jianbo7 April 20257 April 2025
Chang Bingyu7 December 20247 December 2024
Bai Langning6 August 20256 December 2026
Chen Zifan20 December 202720 December 2027
Zhang Jiangkang1 December 20251 May 2027

Also, providing that the translation is correct, I wonder if “activities” includes “practicing in a club”. Coaching I’m sure will not be an option to them.

Unless those players have means to support themselves in the UK and provided that their visa stays valid or is renewed, they will have to go back to China. If they can’t even practice, I can’t see them coming back, except, maybe, Zhao Xintong, Zhao Jianbo and Chang Bingyu. Zhao and Chang could enter the Q- School to try to re-qualify for 2025/26, Zhao Xintong for 2026/27 the earliest.

And of course we have to wait and see it criminal charges will be pressed in China, which I do expect given the country stance on betting. Some of them could well end up in jail, like Liu Song.

10 thoughts on “The CBSA issues their own punishments on the 10 Chinese players involved in match fixing”

      • Thanks Monique, I knew King wasn’t part of the Chinese players cheating, I just thought that his case maybe would be heard at the same tribunal separately.

  2. Looking somewhat more closely, it’s even worse than I thought. Let’s compare:

    WPBSA: He “is therefore precluded from participating in any way (including but not limited
    to playing, coaching, officiating, management, organisation, administration and/or
    promotion) in *activities or events recognised or organised by the WPBSA* until … .”

    CBSA: “he is prohibited from participating in *all billiards events and activities* in mainland China *in any form* and in any capacity.”

    As I understand it, CBSA says “all billiards activities in any form”, meaning even training is prohibited in China, maybe even on their own private snooker table, which clearly is not the case in the UK. Which means, unless they can escape China, they are facing years without a cue in hand. WPBSA “only” prohibits participating in WPBSA events, which doesn’t include training at some club or facility.

    Maybe Lewis can help us out here; “activities” may not mean what I think, and there might be something lost in translation.

  3. Zhao Xintong’s WPBSA ban ends on “1 September 2024”. I don’t wee why he can’t enter Q-School to qualify for the 25/26 season. He couldn’t enter tournaments in China until “1 July 2025”, of course. Reportedly, Zhao Xintong entered into an intense cooperation with the WPBSA to … make amends, that might eventually bear fruit once the whole brouhaha subsides, for instance in the form of a wildcard offered for the 24/25 season after the WPBSA ban ends. I don’t consider it highly likely, but it remains to be seen.

    It’s impossible to tell what Chinese authorities will come up with in terms of criminal penalties, but: Chinese law is valid within China, and has no effect outside the country. So, logically speaking, and provided none placed bets whilst in China, no criminal penalties should ensue. Or that would be my understanding…

    I guess, coming back will be hard, not just for the lack of training and tournament experience, but having lost face, and on account of the treatment they will receive from other players and the snooker community at large. Some, even most, of the younger ones might realize that arriving at the baize to boos and jeers isn’t how they’d imagine their future.

    • Yes Zhao theoretically could enter the Q-School to qualify for the 25/26 season, provided he can afford the cost and provided he can either stay in the UK or travel to the UK. Staying in the UK will only be possible if his family can support him – he won’t be able to work outside snooker in the UK – and provided his visa stays valid or is renewed. That looks very unlikely to me. If he goes back to China, he will get no support from CBSA and getting a new visa to play in the UK might prove difficult. I’m afraid I can’t see it happening.

      • Thanks, that clarifies things. I was hoping that, having made something like half a million over the last three seasons, he might have saved up enough to get him through the harsh times ahead. He, as far as the reporting goes, didn’t buy a Ferrari, or something.

      • Well, if he was careful with his money, yes he possibly could stay. But his visa is only for playing snooker, no other work. So, as he’s banned to do that, when he needs another visa, I’m not sure how he could get one.

  4. Yes, the CBSA were always going to mirror the outcome of the WPBSA inquest. The extra lengths of the Chinese bans is a practical inconvenience for those wishing to come back. It means, for example, that Zhao Xintong wouldn’t be able to return via CBSA qualifiers, if they are still using that system – he would need to go to Q School. But the tone of the announcement (I have read the original Chinese) does suggest the players are not going to get much help from the CBSA in the future.

    I find Bai Langning’s treatment particularly harsh. The match where he was approached was his first match in 2022-23, he’d just arrived back from China a few days before after a very complicated journey (3 flights) and his luggage had been lost, including his cue. He was clearly exploited. His personal circumstances were probably the worst of all of the 10, before and after. I suspect he just didn’t defend himself very well at the inquest.

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