Lee’s ban ‘effectively for life’

Snooker’s leaders insist that Stephen Lee has been handed an effective lifetime ban after he was given a record 12-year suspension for seven charges of match-fixing.

The 38-year-old angrily protested his innocence after the announcement of the sanction and is expected to lodge an appeal later this week.

The former world number five was found guilty of match-fixing charges relating to seven matches in 2008 and 2009, and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association had been seeking a lifetime ban.

But the organisation’s head of disciplinary, former Metropolitan Police detective superintendent Nigel Mawer, insisted the 12-year suspension and an order to pay £40,000 costs was effectively the same.

Mawer said: “We did say we were seeking a life ban because it was seven matches that had been fixed including during the World Championships.

“But in effect it is a life ban because I think it is highly unlikely that Stephen Lee will be able to come back to the sport at this level.

“To my knowledge this is the longest ban ever handed down and there are £40,000 costs to pay too if he ever wants to come back.”

Mawer added that he believed snooker was overwhelmingly a clean sport.

He said: “Hand on heart I believe it is a very, very clean sport – I have only had to investigate four incidents in 7,000 matches and two of those have led to suspensions, which puts it in context.”

Lee, who was in financial difficulties at the time of the offences and still now, claimed he had done nothing wrong and is expected to make a statement tomorrow.