Yu Delu and Cao Yupeng given lengthy bans from snooker after being found guilty of match-fixing

Yu will serve a 10 year nine month ban for manipulating five matches in two-and-a-half years while Cao has been given a six-year ban with three-and-a-half years suspended

Yu Delu and Cao Yupeng have been banned from snooker after being found guilty of match-fixing (PA)

Chinese players Yu Delu and Cao Yupeng have been banned from snooker after being found guilty of match-fixing.

Yu has been banned for 10 years and nine months after an inquiry discovered he manipulated the outcome of five matches over a two-and-a-half-year period.

The 31-year-old will serve the longest suspension since English player Stephen Lee received a 12-year ban in 2013.

Cao, 28, has been banned for six years although three and a half years of his punishment are suspended. He was found to have fixed three different matches.

Both players were investigated by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) before an independent tribunal ruled on the outcomes.

Chairman of the WPBSA Jason Ferguson said: “It is very sad when talented players are attracted to the opportunity to make money from fixing matches. The WPBSA has very effective prevention and monitoring processes that protect the sport. Where players ignore this, they risk their careers and they will be caught.

“Cao Yupeng has shown true remorse and he will assist the WPBSA in player education and in its fight against corruption, which is reflected in his reduced sanction.

“The sanctions handed down to these players by the Independent Tribunal reflect how seriously the WPBSA treats such cases. This was a lengthy and difficult enquiry for which the Tribunal commended the WPBSA for its skill and professionalism in the investigation and presentation of the case.”

PA