The matches that saw Stephen Lee banned from snooker for 12 years ahead of potential return

Former snooker star Stephen Lee could make a controversial return to the sport later this year after the expiry of his 12-year ban for match fixing. But which matches resulted in his initial ban?

The 49-year-old, who won five ranking titles during his career, was banned from competing in, or even attending, any WPBSA-affiliated tournament for 12 years back in 2012.

The expiry date of the ban coincides with Lee's 50th birthday in October 2024.

Speaking in 2022, Lee suggested that he would have to 'wait and see' as to whether he would be prepared to make a comeback, although a combination of his age and lack of competitive match practice would potentially be detrimental factors.

Should he decide to attempt a return to the World Snooker Tour, Lee would have to come through Q-School next April to earn his tour card, with any ranking points he earned prior to his ban now long consigned to history.

But he could instead enter the World Seniors Tour, which is open to any player aged 40 or over that is ranked outside of the top 64 on the main tour.

Lee was regarded as one of the most stylish and entertaining players to watch on the tour, and was ranked at world number five at several points between 2000 and 2004.

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But he was suspended from snooker in October 2012 following reports from two bookmakers of illegal betting patterns surrounding a match in the 2012 Premier League against John Higgins, which Lee lost 4-2.

The WPBSA began investigating the match, and subsequently brought charges relating to seven further matches against the Wiltshire-born cueist - including one at the 2009 World Championship.

The hearing into those charges - minus any charges relating to the Premier League match, which the WPBSA did not proceed with - took place in September, with Lee found guilty of influencing the outcome of seven matches in 2008 and 2009.

WPBSA concluded that one of the matches being investigated - a 2008 Malta Cup group stage match - was not fixed.

However, he was found guilty of 'accepting payment to influence the outcome of a match' for seven other matches, including his 10-4 defeat to Ryan Day at the 2009 World Snooker Championship.

The tribunal concluded that he was 'working with three different groups, who were betting on multiple platforms and the exact score and frame outcomes for matches he played in those tournaments'.

As per BBC Sport, the tribunal concluded that he deliberately lost matches against Ken Doherty and Marco Fu at the 2008 Malta Cup, and agreed to lose the first frame against Stephen Hendry and Mark King at the 2008 UK Championship.

It was also concluded that Lee lost matches by a pre-determined score against Neil Robertson at the 2008 Malta Cup, and his 2009 China Open match against Mark Selby.

Finally, it was concluded that he conspired to lose the aforementioned World Championship match against Ryan Day.

There was no suggestion that any other player was aware of Lee's involvement.

He was banned for a total of 12 years, despite a lifetime ban being sought, but WPBSA head of disciplinary Nigel Mawer said: "In effect it is a life ban, because I think it is highly unlikely that Stephen Lee will be able to come back to the sport at this level.

"We don't take great pleasure out of that - this is a case of a fantastic snooker player who has thrown it all away through making the wrong decisions.

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"It is only human to have a degree of sympathy for him and it is going to be very difficult for him, but we have to send a very strong message that match fixing is not going to be tolerated."

At the time, the 12-year ban was the highest ever handed out by snooker's organisers for match fixing.

Lee would later appeal against the 'finding of the tribunal, the sanction and the costs awarded', but it was dismissed in May 2014.

Last year, Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were given lifetime bans as part of a group of 10 Chinese players that were all given differing bans from the sport for match fixing charges.