Former world champion Shaun Murphy believes snooker is better with Zhao Xintong back in the sport following his return to top-level competition after a 20-month ban.
Zhao, 27, was one of 10 players banned in a corruption scandal. After serving a suspension of one year and eight months, he made his comeback by qualifying as an amateur for the UK Championship, a tournament he won in 2021.
While Zhao did not directly fix any matches, his initial two-and-a-half-year ban was reduced after he admitted to the charges and pleaded guilty. He was found to have been involved in match-fixing by another player and had bet on matches himself.
“Xintong’s case was always a bit different from the others,” said Murphy, who defeated Zhao 6-5 in the UK Championship’s opening round at the York Barbican on Saturday.
“He wasn’t a cheat. He did break the rules, but he admitted it and served his punishment. He should be allowed to move on and return to the sport once he qualifies. The game is better with Xintong in it.”
In a BBC interview earlier this week, Zhao reflected on his past mistakes, urging others to learn from his experience. “Two years ago I made a small mistake, but now I’ve come back. I know how important snooker is to me, and I just want to return to the table. Let this be a big lesson—don’t make the same mistake. Play snooker; it’s a great thing.”
Murphy believes Zhao will be fully welcomed back to the sport if he qualifies again for the main World Snooker Tour. “We’ve all made mistakes. He has served his time and should be given the chance to go through the qualifying process to get back on the tour,” Murphy added.
However, Murphy feels the other nine players involved in the scandal, including Liang Wenbo, Li Hang, Lu Ning, Yan Bingtao, Zhang Jiankang, Chen Zifan, Chang Bingyu, Zhao Jianbo, and Bai Langning, should be banned for life. “If you are caught cheating, you should be banned for life,” Murphy stated. “Cheating is cheating, and there’s no place for it in any sport, including ours. But I can’t stress enough that Xintong wasn’t accused of cheating—he was not guilty of that—and I believe he should be allowed to compete.”
