Stephen Lee returns to snooker after mammoth 12-year ban as fans all say same thing

Snooker star Stephen Lee has finally returned to the baize following his mammoth 12-year ban for match-fixing scandals. The 50-year-old was seen in action during an exhibition clash with former world No. 3 James Wattana in Thailand last week.

Lee was found guilty back in 2013 of manipulating seven matches between 2008 and 2009. Speculation about his potential return has been mounting recently and fans were in agreement that his comeback shows he still has what it takes to mix it with the best.

The ex-world No. 5 was discovered to have taken money 'to influence the result of a match', including his 10-4 loss to Ryan Day at the 2009 World Snooker Championship, reports the Express.

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Lee received the devastating competitive ban, which was backdated to his initial suspension in October 2012, though itfinally ended in October 2024.

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) branded his behaviour as "the worst case of corruption" in the sport's history.

The veteran appeared sharp in recently surfaced footage from his comeback match, moving around the green felt with confidence. Lee compiled a 46 break to clear up in the opening frame after Wattana had missed his opportunity.

The Englishman eventually prevailed 2-1 across three frames before both players participated in a trick-shot exhibition. Under the footage, one fan said: "Stephen can still play. Still got that wonderful cue action."

A second posted: "Wonderful player to watch." A third fan added: "Two brilliant players still. I'd love to see how Stephen Lee would get on if he was back on tour. He still has much more class than the other Q-School regulars."

Speculation about whether Lee might be permitted back onto the World Snooker Tour could now resurface. However, it's believed that Lee would need to clear unpaid fines levied by the WPBSA before he could return to the tour.

Snooker HQ reported that Lee owed the WPBSA £125,000 in legal costs related to his case and unsuccessful appeals. The WPBSA clarified: "Stephen Lee would need to reach a satisfactory agreement with the WPBSA over the settlement of his outstanding costs before he could return to compete at WPBSA/WST events."

Lee had the option to try for qualification for this year's World Championship, as his ban from playing ended in October 2024. He had previously voiced his hesitation about returning to competition to The Mirror back in 2022.

He said: "I must get asked this weekly, daily, minutely. I would like to say no, but I am still capable of playing. Let's see what happens in two years. It's not a no, and not a yes. My eyes are getting worse, and I never had good eyes to start with. As you get older the determination and the fire goes."

Around the same time, Lee quashed rumours of a comeback on Facebook, writing: "Not a chance of it my friend. I struggle to break off nowadays. It's down to my son now..."

Lee hit back at the match-fixing allegations, insisting he was "totally innocent" and "devastated" by the guilty verdict.

Despite his protestations, a tribunal found him guilty of deliberately losing matches against Ken Doherty and Marco Fu in the 2008 Malta Cup, as well as intentionally dropping the opening frame in bouts with Stephen Hendry and Mark King during the 2008 UK Championship.