Allen receives Chinese rocket

Mark Allen: Received a suspended three-month ban and fined £10,000

Mark Allen has been given a suspended three-month ban and fined £10,000 for accusing Chinese players of cheating.

The punishment comes for comments made after his defeat at the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on April 22.

The 26-year-old first accused his opponent Cao Yupeng, said cheating appeared to be a trait of Chinese players and then also named two other Chinese players.

The disciplinary committee of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association considered the case and found Allen to be in breach of their regulations.

Rule 1.1 states: "Members shall, at all times behave in a proper and correct manner consistent with their status as professional sportsmen.

"Members shall not do anything which is likely to intimidate, offend, insult, humiliate or discriminate against any other person on the grounds of disability, their religion, race, colour or national or ethnic origin, sex or sexual orientation."

Disrepute

Rule 1.2 states: "A member shall not make or cause to be made any statement or commit or cause to be committed any act which in the reasonable view of the WPBSA is likely to bring into disrepute the games of snooker and/or billiards."

In addition to his fine and suspended ban the Northern Irishman, who had previously been fined £1,000 and warned as to his future conduct for comments he made about China and the Chinese people on Twitter, was ordered to pay £1,000 towards the cost of the hearing.

In a statement, the WPBSA confirmed: "This suspension will only come into effect if he commits any new breach of the WPBSA Members Rules that are dealt with by the WPBSA disciplinary process in the next six months.

"He has also been required to undergo media training.

"The WPBSA disciplinary committee consider that this behaviour is unacceptable and offensive to China and the Chinese players. Such behaviour will not be tolerated by the WPBSA."