Stephen Lee has expressed his thoughts on a potential comeback to the World Snooker Tour after serving a 12-year ban for match-fixing. The former player’s suspension, imposed in 2014 but backdated to 2013, was the result of a World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) investigation into his involvement in fixing matches, including one at the World Championship.

Having completed his ban, Lee is now eligible to participate in WPBSA-sanctioned events like Q-School to potentially rejoin the main World Snooker Tour. Despite this opportunity, the 51-year-old, currently residing in Thailand, stated in a recent interview that he has no plans to return to the top tier due to the lack of support he feels he received from the WPBSA.

Lee mentioned that while he still enjoys playing snooker at a certain level, he has no intention of going through the Q-School process after such a long ban period. He also expressed his disinterest in working with the WPBSA again, citing the association’s lack of assistance to players. Additionally, personal reasons, including the loss of his wife two years ago, have further diminished his desire to pursue professional snooker.

If Lee were to consider a return to the game, he would need to settle a £125,000 bill with the WPBSA related to legal costs and unsuccessful appeals. The WPBSA clarified that Lee must reach a satisfactory agreement on this matter before being able to compete again.

Before his ban, Lee had achieved a top ranking of fifth in the world. Notably, he reached the semi-final of the World Championship and the final of the Masters in 2008, where he was defeated by Mark Selby before his career took a downward turn due to the match-fixing scandal.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Lee had deliberately lost matches against various opponents, including Ken Doherty, Marco Fu, Stephen Hendry, Mark King, Neil Robertson, and Mark Selby, as part of fixed agreements. Despite his actions, there was no indication that his opponents were complicit in his misconduct.

The WPBSA emphasized its firm stance against match-fixing when handing down Lee’s severe 12-year suspension. This penalty was considered the most stringent in snooker history until a Chinese match-fixing scandal in 2023 resulted in lifetime bans for players like Liang Wenbo and Li Hang, with others receiving lengthy suspensions, including current world champion Zhao Xintong.