http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/William_Holman_Hunt_-_The_Scapegoat.jpg/800px-William_Holman_Hunt_-_The_Scapegoat.jpg
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/snooker/joe-jogia-snooker-star-says-1727410
To some extent I think this man has been made a massive scapegoat. Clearly he knows a lot about what has been going on, and he looks around at them all getting off scot free while he gets a 2 year ban. Higgins got a slap on the wrist because he is a big name and Joe gets the 2 year ban (for doing far less damage to Snooker than Higgins has). Whether Joe did fix matches, I don't know. The point really is that they have used a low rank player as the fall guy and Joe is not happy with it.
These allegations are going to be hard to ignore... it seems the sport is awash with corruption.
Joe the Scapegoat
posted on 24/2/13
It seems that he has told the Mirror these names, but not the powers that be. So basically he's getting money for giving a story to the papers. If he really wants to do something for the game, then give out the names.
It's arguable whether what Higgins did is worse than what Joe did. Perhaps Higgins did receive some favourable treatment because of who he was, but that's just sport all over, where the big names get leniency (I was a massive Alex Higgins fan, but accept that he got away with so much it was ludicrous)
The bottom line is how shocked should we be??!! Snooker is not a sport awash with money at the lower end of the scale, and those at the bottom end of the game are going to be succeptable to receiving such offers. In an ideal world everyone would say no, but there are bills to pay etc, and in a desperate situation, 'normal people' do desperate things - that does not make it right, and those who do it should be punished, but it's just reflecting life really.
posted on 24/2/13
I agree.