A spokesman for John Higgins has described the Sky report as "100% wrong" and he maintains his innocence.
Jim Cassidy told PA Sport: "The tribunal has just started. John Higgins is 100% innocent of match fixing."
Sky Sports News have now taken down their original story.
Thought as much. Why would Higgins spend months vehemently argueing his innocence only to admit today?
ReplyDeletefunny how all evidence of the "story" has "disappeared" from sky's site...
ReplyDeleteMaybe things have changed now the REAL EVIDENCE has appeared and not the conjecture and nonsense from so-called journalists, who have actually been fed by Mr Mooney since this thing started. Sporting Intelligence......be prepared to eat some humble pie.
ReplyDeletePeople plead guilty when they know they are caught and people plea-bargain when they know they are caught.
No conspiracy....no fit up...just another scumbag ruining the career of a world champion sportsman, who unfortunately believed the hype and allowed himself to be dragged into something he he didnt need or want.
REAL UPDATE
ReplyDeleteHiggins and Mooney both plead guilty to certain charges
Witnesses and evidence dismissed due to guilty pleas
Both sets of lawyers for the guilty men now negotiating to try and reduce punishments for both
The tribunal is effectively over with no witnesses being called and no further evidence required
Final order of business - Punishment allocation.
Regards from a real insider not someone pretending to be inside
Labas
ReplyDeleteI hope John Higgins not expel from game as he great world champion like his father.
His father hero of snooker in Lithuania and Latvia.
Thanks for the update, Mazher
ReplyDeletewelcome xxxx
ReplyDeleteWell done the News of the World for this heroic act of public service
ReplyDeleteWe can all sleep more easily now that this man's life and career are ruined
I should point out to 12.32pm that I haven't speculated about this case at all, neither have I spoken to Pat Mooney or John Higgins for that matter
ReplyDeletedont worry about that dave
ReplyDeletejohns been keeping a very low profile compared to normal, even among snooker friends
I think Speculation is the word.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping its the toilet paper that is eating humble pie & the only wrong doing done by John was that he failed to report this matter.
Even then, that could have a satisfactory explanation.
Fingers Crossed.
Leon - Alex and John Higgins were not related
ReplyDeletewhat have you heard since 2-30pm today Dave?
ReplyDeleteanything?
No, mercifully I was commentating
ReplyDeleteCan only see two outcomes here. Guilty of (potential) match fixing which will end his career.
ReplyDeleteOR
Not guilty and/or guilty of a lesser offense such as 'bringing the game into disrespute' which will be equate to a time served ban.
I for one hope for the latter,
oh dave i was listening to your tones (as well as mike "doesnt know what a cross double is" h)
ReplyDeleteyou could have had texts in the office from where the commentary usually takes place, thats why i asked
I hope the enquiry also involves the source of the NOTW "tip off" in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThe real target was to discredit Mooney indirectly, the Barry Hearn takeover bid.
Who could have wanted that to fail I wonder?
Personally I dislike the people who post on here while hiding behind an "anonymous" pseudonym.
ReplyDeleteI would ignore 2.32.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous insider claims Higgins is guilty. 5.20 now and no news anywhere else.
It's funny watching the snooker scandal, the cricket scandal etc..etc...etc.
ReplyDeleteEvery one screams fit-up and blames the press.
In all of these so called sting operations, the sportsmen, celebrities just have to say NO....that’s it, no great secret....JUST SAY NO.
If an armed robber exposes a paedophile then well done to the armed robber.
If a down-market tabloid Paper exposes a sporting cheat, a greedy ex-royal or a coke-taking boxer then the fact it was a tabloid rag does not make the alleged victim of a sting innocent.
They all could have said know and quite frankly, the Mooney-Higgins sting was a joke. 300,000 euros to throw a few frames as well as £300,000 sponsorship for the World Series of Snooker!!!!
This means someone was going to pay Higgins and Mooney over half a million pounds sterling to throw 4 frames over four tournaments.
This is pie in the sky and no one would be able to recoup £500,000 over 4 frames of snooker taking place over 12 months.
Greed takes over, defences go down, sportsmen are manipulated by egotistical hangers on and attempts at match-fixing take place.
Easy to scream at the papers rather than look at the facts. If your wife has an affair, it is soooo easy to blame the other man....what about your wife guys and girls.....what about your wife?
The big question is this......Would Higgins be in this position if he had not allowed himself to be manipulated and ill advised by his so called manager?
Do people really believe that the paper would let things get this far without being confident of their claims?
Bacon is on the grill snooker fans...time to wake up and smell it.....then accept John for what he did, give him a chance to make amends, take his punishment and then maybe try to rebuild his reputation by honesty, hard work and good council rather than big talking wide boy advisers.
I heard from a source today that the tribunal has went very well for Higgins and he is likely to be cleared tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteDave - are you in China or are you pretending by not updating comments during UK hours? ;)
ReplyDeleteIs that 4.40pm poster for real? Can only see two outcomes - guilty or not guilty? Blimey must have been studying law. Lol
ReplyDeleteIt's all looking like John Higgins has gone for the manslaughter charge instead of the murder.. Guilty but i did'nt mean to do it, looking at a 5 year ban instead of a life sentence.
ReplyDelete10.19pm.
ReplyDeleteThe guy doesnt need to study law, he is saying there are two outcomes. Guilty of the main charge, or guilty of the lesser charge. One will end his career, the other means he will be back playing in the UK Championship in December.
A five year ban is not an option
Listen, he will NOT be cleared because he incriminated himself with his mafia statement and did not report this to the WSPBA.
ReplyDeleteThat is a done deal.