The Mole – Our man fumbling in the dark
The Russian mafia have been running world snooker for the past 35 years in the most severe case of institutionalised cheating sport has ever witnessed, SportingBalls can exclusively reveal.
The sensational news comes after World Number One turned investigative reporter, John Higgins, secretly videoed members of the Russian mafia allegedly forcing him at gun-point to drink champagne and accept £1000,000s.
Higgins – who had posed as a chubby, greedy money-grabbing snooker player – immediately blew the whistle on the elaborate web of deception and match fixing which has allowed the Russians to control every aspect of the world game since the height of the Cold War.
The Scot also revealed the brutal methods of intimidation and coercion practised by his captors as they kidnapped him by private jet, fed him caviar and forced him to hand-over his bank account details so they could credit it by £1000,000s.
Russia is renowned for its love of the game with millions of people from the snooker halls of St Petersburg to the drinking shacks of Siberia, referring to it as ‘the beautiful game’.
And it is believed the mafia moved in as betting on snooker became a more glamorous and lucrative alternative to drugs, steel and international espionage.
The snooker authorities have promised a swift and immediate investigation into the allegations.
They could be forced to look over 1000s of matches for evidence of match fixing – a prospect that sent shivers down the spine of investigators.
It is thought that many incidents of cheating may have been missed as television viewers napped through the last 35 years of the sport.
Higgins is said to be considering walking away from the sport at the age of just 34 when he has potentially another 40 years in the sport ahead of him.
It is not the first-time a match fixing scandal has hit sport – in 1993 fans were left stunned after revelations that WWF was fixed.
*This story is constructed from fiction
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