Snooker match-fixing investigation: Chen Zifan is eighth player to be suspended amid probe

Chen Zifan has become the eighth snooker player to be suspended as part of an investigation into match-fixing in the sport.

The 27-year-old, who has never progressed beyond the third round at a ranking tournament, has the right to appeal.

Former English Open champion Liang Wenbo was also suspended by snooker chiefs in October, while five other players – Lu Ning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning and Chang Bingyu – have also been suspended.

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson previously said that any player that thinks they can get away with match-fixing is “completely foolish”, adding that the investigation could be concluded sooner rather than later.

“We’re constantly monitoring markets and everything else. We know what’s going on. And if any player thinks they can get away with it [match-fixing], by the way, they’re completely foolish because we can find it easily.

“It won’t take as long as you think – I think we are quite well down the road.

“It is not a good look for us, but we are a sport that chooses to deal with it. We are a sport that chooses to put it out in the public domain. We will not have it talked about behind the scenes.

“Expose it, get it out there, deal with it, and we can move on with the professional sport that we’ve got.”