• Snooker

Jogia banned until 2014 over suspicious betting

Joe Jogia has been banned from snooker for nearly two years after an investigation into suspicious betting patterns surrounding one of his matches.

Jogia's game against Matthew Selt at the Snooker Shoot-out in January was probed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, after a bookmaker reported it due to unusual activity as betting was also suspended.

The 36-year-old was provisionally suspended until the WPBSA completed its investigation, with the sport's governing body now deciding to ban the player from competitive play until after the 2014 World Championship.

"Joe Jogia was today banned from involvement in the game of snooker and billiards until the conclusion of the 2014 World Championship and ordered to pay £2,000 as a contribution towards the cost of the hearing and investigation of the case," a statement confirmed.

The WPBSA did not reveal exactly what Jogia's indiscretion had been - but the rule he was found guilty of breaching indicated he had at the very least contributed to bringing the sport's integrity into question.

Jogia was found to have breached section 2.1.4.1 of the WPBSA members' rules, which states: "It shall be a breach of these rules for a member to ... engage in any conduct ... that is corrupt or fraudulent, or creates an actual or apparent conflict of interest for the member, or otherwise risks impairing public confidence in the integrity and/or the honest and orderly conduct of the tour and/or any tournament or match."

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson added: "In protecting the public image of our sport, the WPBSA has strong links with the gambling commission and the betting industry.

"The integrity of our sport is of paramount importance and today's outcome highlights how seriously the WPBSA will treat such matters."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.