Thaindian News

London, May 9 (ANI): Disgraced snooker star John Higgins has been exposed for a second time in a week - attempting to bet against himself during last year’s World Championship Final.The three-times world champ was suspended from the sport last week after the News of the World caught him on camera agreeing to a massive 261,000-pound bribe to deliberately lose frames in four separate matches.

The paper also reveals how Higgins shamefully tried to cash in on the most important fixture in world snooker at the revered home of the sport - the Crucible in Sheffield.

In a break during the May bank holiday weekend final, Higgins made a secret mobile phone call to bookmakers Ladbrokes to ask for odds on him losing to opponent Shaun Murphy at some stage in the match.

Using a password to access his personal account, he then tried to place a substantial wager, telling the operator: “I just want to cover myself.”

But Higgins’ outrageous attempt to bag an extra payout was thwarted when Ladbrokes’ call centre betting clerk sought advice from her manager and rejected the bet.

In the end, Higgins - watched by three million unsuspecting British fans plus many millions more around the globe - turned a commanding lead on the Sunday into a crushing 18-9 victory on the Monday, clinching the championship and 250,000-pound prize.A senior WPSA governing body member said: “There appears to be a clear breach of the Code of Conduct which will be investigated along with the other allegations already made against Mr. Higgins. There are clear rules laid out for players on the issue of gambling.”(ANI)