Former English Open champion Liang Wenbo has been placed at the centre of snooker’s biggest match-fixing scandal after explosive claims from fellow Chinese player Chang Bingyu – one of five suspended last week pending the outcome of an investigation into manipulating the outcome of matches for betting purposes.
The 35-year-old Liang, also twice a World Cup winner and former world No11, was himself suspended from all tournaments and competition back in October under the vaguer and then unspecified term of “allegations of misconduct”.
But though match-fixing was not mentioned at that time, Liang’s suspension is now understood to be connected to the banning of the subsequent five players pending resolution of what has become one of the largest, most complex and wide-ranging corruption probes conducted by the WPBSA Integrity Unit and counterparts in China.
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Chang, 20, is one of three young players involved along with Zhao Jianbo, 19, and the 20-year-old Bai Langning. The two other players suspended – Li Hang, 32, and Lu Ning, 26, are more senior. And in a Weibo post on Chinese social media that has already been taken down, he both admitted to match-fixing and also claimed that he was bullied, threatened and intimidated into doing so by Liang.
The game involving Chang was against Jamie Jones in the last 32 of the British Open in September, a contest he admits he deliberately threw and went on to lose 4-1.
Chang insisted: “On the morning of the start of the game, Liang Wenbo called me in a threatening tone, saying he was ‘in’ my game against Jamie Jones. I was afraid that he had bet so much money. If I didn’t agree, he would make trouble for me, so I had no choice but to agree. I was very scared.
“No matter what the reason is for the match-fixing, it is my mistake, and I will actively cooperate with the investigation. I can accept my punishment, but I was really scared at the time. I didn’t receive any money.”
Chang went on to claim that ahead of an investigation set up by the authorities Liang sent an associate to his home, warning him to deny any involvement, to hide the affair from the investigators, or that there would be “trouble” for him. Instead Chang told the authorities a very different story - and may now be hoping for some mitigation due to the circumstances.
He claimed: “On the day before the investigation meeting, a friend of Liang that I don't know drove to my residence and asked me to sit in his car. When I entered the car, he handed me his phone. On the phone, Liang told me to lie, or I would get myself into trouble. I hope I will get a fair judgment.”
Chinese sources have suggested that three of the players involved are being investigated over one match each- with one so far unspecified player denying all the allegations.
It is another seemingly grim development in the apparently imploding career of Liang. Earlier this year he was banned for four months for bringing the sport into disrepute following a widely publicised and unrelated incident in Sheffield in 2021.
In July Liang was banned for four months to August by the WPBSA following a conviction for a domestic related assault in April over an incident that occurred in July 2021. As a result he missed the qualifiers for the World Championships at the Crucible.
He had earlier been handed a 12-month community order and fined £1,380 after pleading guilty to the charge at Sheffield Magistrates Court.
Liang was captured on CCTV punching and kicking a woman in Sheffield City Centre before dragging her to the floor. There was widespread criticism – including from Sheffield MP Louise Haigh - at what was perceived as leniency on those sentences from both the courts and the sport itself.
Liang has been reported by Chinese news organisations as being currently away on holiday – possibly in Hong Kong. The Sportsman attempted to make contact with Liang for comment but was unable to reach him.
But in a recent post on Chinese social media himself Liang both denied he had ever been involved in match-fixing, insisted he would challenge the claims legally, and also hinted that he would be a whistle blower on other corruption issues in the game.
