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Higgins determined to prove people wrong

John Higgins was cleared of match fixing at a recent hearing © Getty Images

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John Higgins has set his stall out to silence his critics after being cleared of match fixing at a recent tribunal.

The world No. 1 was caught up in a News of the World expose where he was caught on video agreeing to throw frames for money. Higgins defended himself against the allegations and at a hearing earlier in the month, was cleared of match fixing. Ian Mill QC chaired the hearing and praised Higgins for his honesty, although the Scot was hit with a six-month suspension for bringing the game into disrepute.

Higgins has not picked up a cue since the news broke in May and he has also had to come to terms with his father's battle against cancer. The Scot will be free to resume his snooker career in November and he is determined to take advantage of his second chance.

"These last five months will shape me for the rest of my life," Higgins told the Guardian. "It will make me a better person, and a stronger person. When my dad came out of hospital he didn't seem in a good place. But in the last day or two he's perked up.

"He has a bed downstairs now and he can walk over to the TV and sit in his normal place and take charge of the remote again. There's been snooker in Glasgow this weekend and he's watched it. He couldn't have done that if his boy had not been cleared. So that's given me a goal.

"I want people to believe in me again and I want to become world champion next May. I've won three world titles and I've dedicated them to my three children. I'd like to win a fourth - and dedicate it to my dad. Before he goes I'd like to win it for him.

"You don't realise what you've got in life until it looks like it's going to be taken away from you. My wife keeps telling me things happen for a reason. Maybe she's right. Snooker players go into steady decline and lose their intensity after a while. But I will have real purpose the next five years. I want to prove people wrong and win a lot more tournaments."

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