Chinese players Yu Delu and Cao Yupeng have been banned from snooker after admitting match-fixing.
Yu has been banned for 10 years and nine months after an investigation discovered he manipulated the outcome of five matches over a two-and-a-half-year period.
The independent tribunal which ruled on his case said in its decision that he “engaged in deliberate and premeditated corruption to secure substantial financial gain for his friends/associates and himself”.
Yu also admitted lying to the investigator, failing to cooperate with the investigation and betting on snooker when prohibited from doing so.
The 31-year-old, whose ban will run until February 2029, 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.
The tribunal found that, on one of the matches Yu fixed, the stakes placed on the result were £65,000 and would have generated a profit of £86,000.
The tribunal described Yu’s actions as “a scourge to the game of snooker”.
Both players were investigated by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) before a tribunal ruled on the outcomes.
