Shaun Murphy would don’t have any objection to Stephen Lee coming again to the World Snooker Tour following the top of his 12-year ban for match fixing.
However the 2005 world champion admits that the potential of that taking place stays unlikely whereas Lee continues to owe the game’s governing physique an enormous sum in unpaid prices and fines.
Stephen Lee was suspended from snooker in 2012 and subsequently given a then-unprecedented ban after an impartial tribunal in 2014 discovered him responsible of match fixing.
On the time of his unique suspension, he was ranked quantity eight on the planet and had lately claimed his fifth rating title.
Lee had reached as excessive as quantity 5 on the official rankings checklist, whereas the Trowbridge potter appeared within the semi-finals of the 2003 World Championship and the ultimate of the 2008 Masters.
His prolonged ban ended earlier this month on October twelfth, 2024 – Lee’s fiftieth birthday.
The Englishman stays considerably of a cult determine amongst snooker followers, with many both staunchly towards his comeback or desperately wishing to see his silky cue motion on show as soon as once more.
However for any of that to materialise, Lee would wish to pay a reported six-figure complete of fines from the court docket circumstances and appeals associated to the allegations.
A spokesperson for the World Skilled Billiards and Snooker Affiliation advised SnookerHQ.com final week: “Stephen Lee would wish to achieve a passable settlement with the WPBSA over settlement of his prices earlier than he might play.”
What did Shaun Murphy say?
Murphy, who misplaced to Lee within the closing of the Welsh Open when he was the world champion, spoke intimately concerning the matter throughout the newest episode of his podcast.
“I don’t assume so,” Shaun Murphy stated about the potential of a comeback on the OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast. “Not till he pays his fines which are excellent to the WPBSA and the authorized prices and all the remainder of it.”
“However, you already know, we reside in a society the place you do the crime, you do the time, and everyone seems to be entitled to a second probability aren’t they?
“He was an unbelievable participant with a Rolls-Royce cue motion and only a nice man off the desk. I by no means had a cross phrase with him.
“He was an attractive participant to observe, a winner. He beat me within the closing of the 2006 Welsh Open and received many, many rating occasions.
“A extremely nice participant, and I feel on the time of his suspension he was quantity two or three on the planet (provisionally). He had a little bit of a resurgence.
“However there have been some suspicious betting patterns, and there have been some suspicious matches. It bought flagged and WPBSA felt he had a case to reply.
“He went by means of that course of, and he was deemed to have damaged the foundations in a major method. He was handed out a particularly agency penalty of 12 years.
“I feel on the time – I is perhaps proper in saying, and I feel I would sit on the fence if I say this – if World Snooker or WPBSA had the flexibility to ban him for all times, they’d have performed.
“That ban didn’t exist, and I feel they felt {that a} 12-year ban was just about profession ending. However as you say, that ban is now gone.
“He has served his time, he’s been away from the sport for 12 years. I can’t consider how rapidly them 12 years have gone.
“I’m certain Stephen Lee doesn’t assume they’ve been fast, and he’s been by means of some trauma away from the desk.
“It’s been a troublesome time for him, I’m completely sure of that. However his path again to the tour isn’t obstacle-free.
“He has over six figures in fines and prices to pay earlier than he may even take into consideration returning to the game.
“So he did the crime, he’s served his 12 years, and if he pays the cash he owes, he’ll be free to come back again to strive his hand on the sport.
“And let’s put all of that apart, we’re speaking about somebody who was an exquisite snooker participant.”
Why was Stephen Lee banned?
Lee had survived a number of investigations into suspicious betting patterns previous to the one which ultimately banished him from the game in 2014.
A tribunal dominated he intentionally misplaced matches towards Ken Doherty, Neil Robertson, and Marco Fu on the 2008 Malta Cup.
He was additionally deemed to have agreed to lose the primary body towards each Stephen Hendry and Mark King throughout matches performed on the 2008 UK Championship.
Lee was moreover discovered responsible of influencing the end result of matches towards Mark Selby on the 2009 China Open and Ryan Day on the 2009 World Championship.
Featured picture credit score: WST
