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Snooker's governing body is set to commence a probe into alleged match fixing attempts by champion John Higgins.
His manager on Monday claims that Higgins was "absolutely oblivious" to any proposal that he was going to be asked to lose four frames in non-specified exhibition matches in the future until moments before a 10-minute meeting with undercover reporters to discuss the matter last Friday.
During that undercover operation by the News of the World, Higgins bragged about how it was "easy" to fool fans into believing they were watching genuine snooker action.
Higgins has denied any wrong doing and was suspended over the weekend as soon as the allegations surfaced.
In the statement issued yesterday, Higgins said: "When it was suggested that I throw frames in return for large sums of money, I was really spooked, I just wanted to get out of the hotel and onto the plane home."
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association Chairman Barry Hearn had this to say:
"One of the reasons I was so upset with the video evidence, etcetera, was I didn't get a phone call," Hearn said.
"If someone approaches, and I can't stop people outside approaching players, what I can say is it's their responsibility to report that instance immediately so the authorities are aware and can act on them."
Hearn revealed Douglas will meet the newspaper's management today.
"If there is a sickness in snooker, that's the death knell for snooker unless that sickness is removed, and it will be removed if it exists at all," Hearn said.
"My personal view and the view of the board is any sickness will be removed in a brutal manner, because we will not tolerate it.
"There's temptations in life for everybody but our sporting heroes have to be whiter than white. They have to be totally cleansed of anything like this
"As a friend (to Higgins) . . . it doesn't look good John," Hearn said.
Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
