Ireland's Leo Fernandez has been suspended from snooker pending a hearing into an alleged breach of betting rules, the sport's governing body has announced.

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association opened an investigation into the 39-year-old from Limerick after his 10-4 defeat by Gary Wilson in qualifying for this year's World Championship.

A WPBSA statement read: "As a result of suspicious betting patterns reported to the WPBSA on the match between Leo Fernandez and Gary Wilson that was played at the World Championship Qualifiers at Ponds Forge Sheffield on 6th April 2016, Nigel Mawer, the Chairman of the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee, launched an investigation supported by the International Centre for Sports Security and the Sports Betting & Integrity Unit at the UK Gambling Commission.

"The available evidence has been considered and in accordance with the disciplinary rules, he has decided that there is a case for Leo Fernandez to answer in relation to a breach of the WPBSA members' rules, betting rules.

"The case will be heard at a formal hearing of the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee on a date to be arranged.

"Jason Ferguson, the chairman of the WPBSA, has taken the decision to suspend Leo Fernandez from competing on the World Snooker Tour until the conclusion of the hearing or hearings and the determination of his case."

Fernandez first turned professional in 1995 and has been an intermittent presence on the tour, returning in 2015 to compete at Q School but failing to regain a tour place.

The best result of his career was his run to the last 16 of the 2003 Welsh Open.

Fernandez was not the only player to face WPBSA discipline today, as England's Matthew Selt also fell foul of the sport's authorities.

The world No.25 has been suspended for two tournaments after he was ruled to have brought snooker into disrepute with a post on social media.

The post which led to the sanction has not been disclosed, though Selt became involved in a bad-tempered exchange with another Twitter user following his defeat in World Championship qualifying on 12 April.

Selt posted a photograph of significant casino winnings and was criticised by the other user. On 17 April, he addressed the same user with a picture of a luxury Audi car, prompting a continued exchange which included Selt using a strong expletive.

That tweet was later deleted but was brought to the attention of World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn.