Mansell fined for ‘not playing to the best of his ability’ during World Darts Championship
Northern Ireland’s Mansell looks on (credit:Lawrence Lustig/PDC)
Mickey Mansell has been fined £500 for ‘not playing to the best of his ability’ during the 2018/19 World Darts Championship.
Mansell, 45, is one of a number of players to be fined by the Darts Regulation Authority following the latest batch of hearings and warned as to his future behaviour.
The date of the incident is listed as December 15, 2018 – when Mansell suffered a shock three sets to one defeat to Canadian qualifier Jim Long in the First Round of the World Championship.
Mansell averaged just 75.22 to Long’s 75.33 as the Canadian came from a set down to book his place in the Second Round at Alexandra Palace.
Mansell has been found to be in breach of DRA rule 3.8, which states: ‘Each player shall perform and compete to the best of his ability in each Match and/or Tournament in which he competes and will complete all matches. A player who concedes a match when it can still be won will be in breach of this rule.’
The DRA has provided no clarification as to the exact reasoning for the sanction on Mansell – whose hearing took place on January 2018.
The fine has prompted a strong reaction on social media, with pundits and fans questioning what exactly constitutes the rule breach.
I totally agree with Wayne on this. If someone doesn’t take on the DRA about these things, they will keep doing it.
— Paul Nicholson (@TheAsset180) March 4, 2019
So they effectively priced you out of appealing? Has anyone questioned the legality of the DRA? I presumed as it’s run by the people it is, it would follow strict guidelines? https://t.co/bM9JcxdDfl
— Chris Mason (@Chris180Mason) March 5, 2019
Other notable hearings include that of Andy Jenkins, who was fined £1,000 and handed a three-month ban, suspended until July 5, 2019, for swearing at an official using homophobic language during a Challenge Tour event in Peterborough last November.
William O’Connor was fined £500 for using offensive language during the World Championship, while Arron Monk was also fined £500 and handed a three-month ban, suspended until the end of the 2019 season, for disruptive behaviour and swearing during the Grand Slam qualifiers last November.
