World champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says Stephen Lee is not the only player guilty of fixing snooker matches. Lee is awaiting sentence after a tribunal decided he had fixed seven games in 2008 and 2009. O’Sullivan tweeted “I’ve heard there’s many more players who throw snooker matches. I suppose Steve Lee was just caught out.” “No need to worry if you got nothing to hide. But plenty of people have got loads to hide. That’s why there is no free speech. “They will prob (sic) fine me for talking about it. They don’t like you doing that. Like to keep things under the carpet.”
Lee had denied the allegations of match fixing but a tribunal in Bristol concluded that Lee deliberately lost games against Ken Doherty and Marco Fu at the 2008 Malta Cup. They also found him guilty of agreeing to lose the first frame against both Stephen Hendry and Mark King at the 2008 UK Championship and throw matches by a pre-determined score to Neil Robertson at the 2008 Malta Cup and to Mark Selby at the 2009 China Open.
He similarly conspired to lose his 2009 World Championship first round match to Ryan Day, going on to be defeated 10-4. There is no suggestion that any other player was aware of LeeÂ’s involvement. World Snooker plans to examine OÂ’SullivanÂ’s tweets before deciding whether to take any action.
