Three snooker players have been suspended for match fixing by the WPBSA ©WPBSA

Wales' David John and Chinese duo Yu Delu and Cao Yupeng have each been suspended for match-fixing by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

Matches involving all three players were investigated by the governing body's Integrity Unit working with Sportradar Integrity Services, 

They ruled that there was a case to answer in all three cases.

The trio will therefore be unable to play until formal hearings take place.

“The decision to suspend any player immediately is a difficult decision to take," said WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson.

"However, the WPBSA has a duty of care to ensure that snooker’s global integrity is securely preserved, therefore my decision today is to remove any question marks over the sport during the time it takes to bring these matters to formal proceedings."

Cao Yupeng of China is among the snooker players sanctioned ©WPBSA
Cao Yupeng of China is among the snooker players sanctioned ©WPBSA

John, a 33-year-old from Bridgend, lost his tour card last season but stands accused of manipulating the outcome of matches he was involved in since 201.

He also failed to fully cooperate with the WPBSA enquiry.

Yu, 30, is ranked 43 in the world, but is accused of manipulating the outcome of five matches he was involved in since 2015.

He also allegedly failed to report two approaches to fix a match while also betting on snooker and failing to fully cooperate with the WPBSA enquiry.

The case of Cao Yupeng, the 27-year-old world number 38, relates to manipulating the outcome of three matches in 2016 and failing to fully cooperate with the WPBSA enquiry.

All three players have the right to appeal against the respective decisions.