Shaun Murphy would have no objection to Stephen Lee coming back to the World Snooker Tour following the end of his 12-year ban for match fixing.
But the 2005 world champion admits that the possibility of that happening remains unlikely while Lee continues to owe the sport’s governing body a huge sum in unpaid costs and fines.
Stephen Lee was suspended from snooker in 2012 and subsequently given a then-unprecedented ban after an independent tribunal in 2014 found him guilty of match fixing.
At the time of his original suspension, he was ranked number eight in the world and had recently claimed his fifth ranking title.
Lee had reached as high as number five on the official rankings list, while the Trowbridge potter appeared in the semi-finals of the 2003 World Championship and the final of the 2008 Masters.
His lengthy ban ended earlier this month on October 12th, 2024 – Lee’s 50th birthday.
The Englishman remains somewhat of a cult figure among snooker fans, with many either staunchly against his comeback or desperately wishing to see his silky cue action on display once again.
But for any of that to materialise, Lee would need to pay a reported six-figure total of fines from the court cases and appeals related to the allegations.
A spokesperson for the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association told SnookerHQ.com last week: “Stephen Lee would need to reach a satisfactory agreement with the WPBSA over settlement of his costs before he could play.”
What did Shaun Murphy say?
Murphy, who lost to Lee in the final of the Welsh Open when he was the world champion, spoke in detail about the topic during the latest episode of his podcast.
“I don’t think so,” Shaun Murphy said about the possibility of a comeback on the OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast. “Not until he pays his fines that are outstanding to the WPBSA and the legal costs and all the rest of it.”
“But, you know, we live in a society where you do the crime, you do the time, and everyone is entitled to a second chance aren’t they?
“He was an incredible player with a Rolls-Royce cue action and just a great guy off the table. I never had a cross word with him.
“He was a beautiful player to watch, a winner. He beat me in the final of the 2006 Welsh Open and won many, many ranking events.
“A really great player, and I think at the time of his suspension he was number two or three in the world (provisionally). He had a bit of a resurgence.
“But there were some suspicious betting patterns, and there were some suspicious matches. It got flagged and WPBSA felt he had a case to answer.
“He went through that process, and he was deemed to have broken the rules in a significant manner. He was handed out an extremely firm penalty of 12 years.
“I think at the time – I might be right in saying, and I think I might sit on the fence if I say this – if World Snooker or WPBSA had the ability to ban him for life, they would have done.
“That ban didn’t exist, and I think they felt that a 12-year ban was pretty much career ending. But as you say, that ban is now gone.
“He has served his time, he’s been away from the game for 12 years. I can’t believe how quickly them 12 years have gone.
“I’m sure Stephen Lee doesn’t think they’ve been quick, and he’s been through some trauma away from the table.
“It’s been a difficult time for him, I’m absolutely certain of that. But his path back to the tour isn’t obstacle-free.
“He has over six figures in fines and costs to pay before he can even think about returning to the sport.
“So he did the crime, he’s served his 12 years, and if he pays the money he owes, he’ll be free to come back to try his hand at the game.
“And let’s put all of that aside, we’re talking about someone who was a wonderful snooker player.”
Why was Stephen Lee banned?
Lee had survived several investigations into suspicious betting patterns prior to the one that eventually banished him from the sport in 2014.
A tribunal ruled he deliberately lost matches against Ken Doherty, Neil Robertson, and Marco Fu at the 2008 Malta Cup.
He was also deemed to have agreed to lose the first frame against both Stephen Hendry and Mark King during matches played at the 2008 UK Championship.
Lee was additionally found guilty of influencing the outcome of matches against Mark Selby at the 2009 China Open and Ryan Day at the 2009 World Championship.
Featured photo credit: WST
