Snooker Star Arrested for Match-Fixing Was Banned and Sent to Prison

A snooker star who was arrested for match-fixing was banned from the sport and later sent to prison for a three-year sentence in a separate incident.

Peter Francisco was handed a lengthy suspension for 'not conducting himself in a manner consistent with his status as a professional sportsman'.

At the time, his five-year ban was the biggest suspension in the history of the game.

The sanction was imposed after a nine-hour hearing by a World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association committee of inquiry in Manchester.

It examined Francisco's first-round match against Jimmy White in the Embassy World Championship in 1995.

White beat him 10-2 in a game that was marred by controversy amid suspicious betting patterns.

Francisco baffled the BBC commentators, including Clive Everton, John Virgo and Dennis Taylor, with the shots he performed on the table.

Peter Francisco during a match at the World Snooker Championship in 1988. Image: Getty

There was an unusual number of bets made that the scoreline would be 10-2 in favour of White, which was the eventual outcome, prompting betting on the game to be suspended.

At the same time, he was not found guilty of match rigging.

Following the verdict, however, his life began to spiral out of control. After separating from his wife, Francisco was declared bankrupt in 1996 before he was jailed for three years in 1997 for smuggling cannabis worth £155,00 into Dover.

Peter Francisco's uncle was also a snooker player and had a controversial career

Snooker was in the family with his uncle Silvino Francisco also a professional player.

Silvino, who won the 1975 British Open, had his own issues as he was fined for accusing Kirk Stevens of playing under the influence of drugs in their final. He was sanctioned for his comments.

He was involved in another scandal after the 1989 Masters. After losing 5-1 to Terry Griffiths in the last-16, it emerged that there had been heavy betting on that exact score.

Silvino was subsequently arrested but later released without charge.

He suffered with a gambling problem towards the end of his professional career and was declared bankrupt in 1996 due to income tax arrears.

Like his nephew, he also served three years in prison for smuggling cannabis.

He died in 2024, aged 78.