Thai player Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon has been charged with fixing six snooker matches between 2013 and 2015.
And the 28-year-old has been suspended from all activity pending a formal hearing of the WPBSA disciplinary committee likely to take place in the near future. Tirapongpaiboon, who fell off the tour in 2016, had been set to regain his pro card this season having reached the final of an Asian-Oceania qualifying school event.
But a WPBSA statement released in June hinted at what was to follow, confirming that due to “outstanding disciplinary matters” a decision had been taken not to re-admit him. That place was instead offered to Asjad Iqbal of Pakistan for the current campaign.
One of the matches in question is a 5-0 Shanghai Masters qualifying defeat to Scotland’s Ross Muir in August 2013. Muir is not under suspicion in any way. And another is the 4-2 loss to Martin O’Donnell at the Paul Hunter Classic in Furth, Germany in 2015. Again, his opponent is not implicated in any way.
Both were previously investigated but no disciplinary action was taken as there was “insufficient evidence” to take matters further.
However Tirapongpaiboon, who had not even tried to get back on tour from 2016 until this year, is now co-operating fully with the probe.
Tirapongpaiboon reached a career-high world ranking of No67 in his two spells on the tour, and twice got to the last 32 of ranking tournaments. He is also the youngest player at 16 years and 312 days to make an official maximum break in professional competition at the 2010 Rhein-Main Masters.
It is expected that the suspension will also be upheld by the Thai snooker authorities. A WBSA statement read: “The WPBSA has today charged Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon with fixing the outcome of six World Snooker Tour matches between 2013 and 2015.
“His case will be heard at a formal hearing of the Independent WPBSA disciplinary committee on a date and at a venue to be confirmed.
"Jason Ferguson, the chairman of the WPBSA, has taken the decision to suspend Tirapongpaiboon from competition.
“This suspension will remain in place until the conclusion of the hearing or hearings and the determination of this matter. Tirapongpaiboon is fully co-operating with the WPBSA. The WPBSA will not comment further until the case has been before the independent WPBSA Disciplinary Committee.
“The rules in question are: WPBSA Conduct Regulations Part 1 – Section 2 Betting Rules. Corruption:
2.1.2.1 to fix or contrive, or to be a party to any effort to fix or contrive, the result, score, progress, conduct or any other aspect of the Tour and/or any Tournament or Match.”
