Former world No. 11 snooker player Mark King has been suspended from the sport for five years after being found guilty of match fixing.

An independent disciplinary committee found the former Northern Ireland Open champion guilty of “one count of match fixing and one count of providing inside information on that match” after his Welsh Open clash with Joe Perry in 2023 was investigated.

Mark King has been banned from snooker for five years after being found guilty of match fixing.

The former Northern Ireland Open champion was guilty of “one count of match fixing and one count of providing inside information on that match,” a statement from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) said.

King has been handed a five-year suspension from the sport, a ban that runs until March 2028, and ordered to pay £68,299.50 in costs.

He was suspended on March 18, 2023, after suspicious betting was recorded on his Welsh Open match against Joe Perry on February 13, 2023. 

An investigation followed, concluding that King had a case to answer for fixing the match against Perry and his match against John Higgins on December 13, 2022, as well as providing inside information on both.

King denied the charges and an independent disciplinary committee heard the case in London from May 7-9, 2024.

The charges for the match against Higgins were dismissed, but he was found guilty of breaching rules in his match against Perry.

King has until November 28, 2024, to appeal the decision made by the independent disciplinary committee.

“I have known Mark King since he was very young, he is a very experienced player who has enjoyed great success, and I am deeply saddened to read the finding in this case,” said WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson.

“However, the integrity of this sport will always be our number one priority. This case is testament to the fact that no stone will ever be left unturned in ensuring that the hundreds of millions of snooker fans worldwide, and our many global partners, can have full confidence in this incredible sport.”

King, 50, turned professional in 1991 and was a top-32 ranked player from 1996 to 2015.

He won his first ranking title in 2016 at the Northern Ireland Open and reached the final at two others, the 1997 Welsh Open and 2004 Irish Masters.

King reached his career-high world No. 11 ranking in 2002/03 and has made it to the last 16 of the World Championship seven times.