John Higgins insists shamed snooker match-fixer Stephen Lee would be 'welcomed back with open arms' after he refused to rule out a return to the sport.
Disgraced Lee was found guilty on seven counts of fixing matches between 2008 and 2009 after charges were brought upon him by the WPBSA governing body. He was suspended from WPBSA events in 2012 and was found guilty by an independent tribunal a year later and exiled with a 12-year ban, despite attempts to clear his name.
Before Lee's dramatic fall from grace, he was considered one of the finest talents in snooker, reaching a high of No.5 in the world rankings and claiming five ranking titles. He had graduated as a professional in the same year as the storied 'Class of 1992' trio of Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams.
Lee has two years left on his 12-year ban and has hinted a return is not completely off the cards. And four-time world champion Higgins has no qualms about the Trowbridge-born cueist making a comeback, in what would be a remarkable redemption story.
"If he serves his ban and decides to come back we will welcome him back with open arms," Higgins told BBC Sport. "What a player he was. I'd have no problem, none at all."
It had been assumed that Lee would likely never return to the professional ranks after the ban that runs through to his 50th birthday in October 2024. His lofty achievements in the game were forgotten after the match-fixing case that shook the sport a decade ago. But Lee's recent comments imply that a comeback to the green baize is still on the table.
“I must get asked this weekly, daily, minutely. I would like to say no….but I am still capable of playing," he said. "Let’s see what happens in two years. It’s not a no, and not a yes.
"We can only just see what happens in a couple of years’ time. I have some exciting things coming up, and I’m also getting older. My eyes are getting worse, and I never had good eyes to start with. As you get older the determination and the fire goes.”
Lee's possible return to snooker would be littered with complications given his lack of contrition when he left the sport. The 48-year-old still owes the WPBSA £125,000 in legal fees in costs built up during his unsuccessful appeals. The unpaid debt would need to be paid back to the organisation before a decision is made by the WPBSA board on whether he can re-join the tour.
But it is believed that without a genuine acceptance of guilt, Lee will find it challenging to negotiate with snooker bosses in comeback discussions. He would also have to go through the gruelling qualifying process for the main tour, either through Qualifying School, the amateur Q Tour, or tournaments like the WSF Championship.
