John Higgins match fixing scandal: Transcript of his conversation with undercover reporters

Reporter: "Right, this will purely be four, we'll shake hands on it and that's the end of the matter. But more important is how would you lose a frame? That's what I want to know, how would that work?

"Because, you know, you're the bloody world champion!"

Higgins: "Who would it be against?"

Reporter: "Well, you tell me. I mean… you can't lose against a Ukrainian player here and then go to Warsaw and lose against a Polish, go to Prague and lose against a Czech.

"That's stupid, that's plain stupid. And it doesn't make financial sense for these guys (the shady betting syndicates financing the proposed events].

"It has to be against somebody that is…"

Higgins: "Against somebody that's goodish and it's easier."

Reporter: "Against someone like one of the other boys (meaning other top names who'd be joining in the tournament]. No-one needs to know."

Mooney and Higgins then suggested three prominent stars of the game by name.

Higgins: "It's easy. It's easy."

Mooney: "You make one mistake…"

Higgins: "You don't even have to make a mistake."

Reporter: "You have to be sure if you're going to tell him, 'Frame three I'm going to lose'."

Higgins: "Oh yeah. Frame three I'm going to lose, yes, yes."

Reporter: "Yeah, but I mean what if he gets a good break? What's the risk factor I mean?"

Higgins: "No risk. No, because you can miss."

Having agreed to the deal, Higgins and Mooney discussed the money – suggesting that it be hidden as a payment for wearing a sponsor's logo on Higgins' waistcoat.

As the talks continued, Higgins had his own ideas about how the cash could be paid over without raising suspicions. Turning to Mooney, he said: "I've got a property in Spain. I'm thinking to myself… is there any way… if you get a small mortgage or something on the property and you can pay it off. Would they look me out if you paid it off in a lump sum?"

Mooney replied: "They would be asking where that money came from."

Higgins told the reporter: "I'm just frightened that obviously…"

Mooney: "That it comes up on the radar?"

Higgins: "It is a hell of a lot of money."

Reporter: "For a professional bloody snooker player? I mean you earned something like close to a million last year didn't you? The books show you earned 500 something thousand."

Higgins: "Yeah, what I am saying is that it is a hell of a lot of money…"

Mooney: "…to kind of appear."

Higgins: "Let me get this straight. For four frames, so you're thinking, divide that, 75,000. You've got to earn more than that per frame."

Reporter: "Don't you worry about our side. You worry about your side. How do you want to get paid?"

Higgins: "I'm not worrying about your side."

The reporter once again checked that Higgins was clear about what was expected of him, losing four separate frames, one per tournament.

Higgins's response was a definite: "Yes!"