John Higgins is innocent, claims agent

John Higgins' agent insisted today that the former world snooker champion is not guilty of match-fixing.

Higgins was appearing at the opening of a two-day tribunal in London to answer charges stemming from a News of the World investigation.

"The tribunal has just started," Jim Cassidy said. "John Higgins is 100 per cent innocent of any aspect of match-fixing."

The agent's claims were, though, at odds with reports running on Sky News. They claimed that Higgins and his representative, Pat Mooney, had admitted match-fixing. The hearing centred on claims the pair offered to submit to bribes from undercover reporters in Ukraine in exchange for almost £300,000 in kickbacks.

Higgins is appearing at a behind-closed-doors hearing organised by Sport Resolutions, an independent dispute resolution service. The
35-year-old Scot was suspended by World Snooker after the sport was rocked by the frame-fixing allegations on 2 May.

There could be weeks of waiting for the three-times champion and former world No1 if the independent panel, headed by Ian Mill QC, decide against announcing their verdict tomorrow.

If the panel can make a swift decision it will be delivered verbally to World Snooker and Higgins, and then made public.

However, the panel may elect to take two to three days before announcing the findings, and should the case prove complicated they have the option of taking three to four weeks before delivering a full written verdict.