The World Professional Billiard and Snooker Association [WPBSA] has confirmed Liang Wenbo has been suspended after his conviction for assaulting a woman.
On April 1 the world No 33 pleaded guilty to the domestic-related assault by beating on February 9 at Sheffield Magistrates' Court - and as well as the community order he was fined £1,380. The Crown Prosecution Service had described how Wenbo, 35, was seen on CCTV hitting and kicking a woman on July 20 last year.
Following the case, WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: “We were extremely disappointed to learn of this today, and it is obviously a very serious charge to which Liang Wenbo has pleaded guilty. We need to now consider whether he has in addition fallen foul of our disciplinary process in the area of disrepute.”
Indeed, Ferguson has now acted decisively, with Wenbo suspended from the World Snooker Tour indefinitely. It scuppers the 35-year-old's hopes of playing in the World Championships at The Crucible in April.
Liang had been due to enter World Championship qualifying at the third-round stage, but will now be removed from the draw. "The decision to suspend a player with immediate effect is not one taken lightly,” Ferguson was quoted as saying via eurosport.co.uk.
"However, due to the violent and criminal nature of this offence, I have reached the decision that this is the only appropriate action to be taken pending the outcome of the formal disciplinary process."
The WPBSA statement said Liang had the right to appeal, and that his suspension would "remain in place until the conclusion of the hearing or hearings and the determination of this matter."
Liang will face charges of behaviour unbecoming of a sportsperson and bringing the sport into disrepute.
The left-hander has reached one Triple Crown final since turning professional in 2004. He's also made two Masters appearances, won the inaugural English Open in 2016, and is a two-time World Cup winner alongside team-mate Ding Junhui.
However, the player dubbed 'The Firecracker' has only once been past the first round of the World Championships, back in 2017. Back in 2013, he famously blew a £59,000 jackpot and the chance of making the 100th maximum 147 break in history at the williamhill.com UK Championship.
With a 6-2 win over Elliot Slessor in the bag, he overhit a black taking him to 120 with the last six colours perfectly placed at York’s Barbican Centre.
And he then missed a very tough yellow to see his chance of scooping the rollover prize go up in smoke.
