Stephen Lee has expressed his thoughts on the possibility of returning to the World Snooker Tour after serving a ban for match-fixing. In 2014, he was handed a 12-year suspension, starting from 2013, by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) for manipulating several matches, including one at the World Championship.
Having completed his ban, Lee is now eligible to participate in WPBSA-sanctioned events like Q-School to potentially rejoin the main World Snooker Tour (WST). Despite this opportunity, the 51-year-old stated in a recent interview that he has no plans to make a comeback at the top level due to what he perceives as a lack of support from the WPBSA.
Currently residing in Thailand, Lee mentioned to The Hindu that while he still enjoys playing snooker to a certain extent, he has no intention of going back to professional competition after such a long absence. He expressed disinterest in engaging with the WPBSA again, citing a perceived lack of assistance from the association towards players.
If Lee were to consider a return, he would need to settle a £125,000 debt with the WPBSA related to legal matters and unsuccessful appeals. According to SnookerHQ, the governing body emphasized that Lee must resolve these financial obligations before being allowed to compete.
Prior to his ban, Lee had achieved a ranking as high as fifth in the world and had notable performances in the World Championship and Masters tournaments in 2008. However, his career took a downward turn after a tribunal found him guilty of intentionally losing matches against several opponents, leading to his suspension.
The WPBSA, in its response to the match-fixing incident involving Lee, reiterated its firm stance against such misconduct, stating a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of match manipulation. Lee’s suspension was considered one of the most severe penalties in snooker history until the Chinese match-fixing scandal in 2023 resulted in lifetime bans for certain players, including Liang Wenbo and Li Hang.
In light of these events, Lee’s future in professional snooker remains uncertain as he navigates the aftermath of his ban and reflects on his past actions within the sport.
