Yesterday evening, Neil Robertson won the CLS Group 4 – Report by WST
Neil Robertson’s form continued to trend in the right direction, after claiming victory with a 3-2 defeat of Kyren Wilson in Group 4 final at the Championship League Snooker Invitational in Leicester.
Wilson, who had reached the play-offs by defeating Robertson earlier in the group, beat John Higgins 3-1 in the semi-final. Robertson earned his place in the final thanks to a 3-0 win over Barry Hawkins.
The Thunder from Down Under fired in a break of 54 in the decider against Wilson to secure victory and his place in the Winners’ Group.
After experiencing a dry spell of form across the year, group victory comes at the perfect time for Robertson heading into the business end of the season.
“I think with some of the matches I’ve played this week, I’ve been unplayable at times. The long balls have been absolutely fantastic and I’ve changed my approach a little as to how I’m playing them,” said Robertson.
“I’m going back to how I used to play many years ago. I’ve been backing myself to hit the centre of the white and my long potting has never been better, with my scoring fantastic as well.
“Barry (Hawkins) only had maybe five shots in the semi-final, while Kyren (Wilson) and I threw the kitchen sink at each other. The last frame was unbelievable, he just tried to do a bit too much with the safety shot and I could make a good 50 break.
“When you get to the final and you’ve already played a couple of groups, you want to advance to the Winners’ Group so it’s nice to head back to Cambridge and get a bit of practice in before the Welsh Open.”
Group 5 gets underway from 11am on Friday, with Joe Perry, Fan Zhengyi and David Gilbert joining the competition. Fans are able to view the action on Matchroom.live in the United Kingdom.
Neil seems to be back, close to his best. His confidence certainly is back. 😂
It was obvious that Mark Selby was struggling badly at times during the last month. Now, he has opened up about the difficulties his family is facing (report by WST).
SELBY REVEALS WIFE VIKKI’S CANCER SCARE
Mark Selby admits he was “completely blown apart” when wife Vikki was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, though thankfully she is now recovering.
In an interview with the Metro, four-time World Champion Selby reveals that the couple found out in January 2023 that Vikki had cancer. She had a course of radiotherapy, and the results of recent tests have given them optimism.
“She had a mammogram and ultrasound a few weeks ago and that all looked good,” said 40-year-old Selby. “They gave her an MRI as well and we’re waiting on the results of that. Fingers crossed that comes back ok and then it’s another year until we get a scan again.
“‘She’s been stronger than me throughout it, for sure. When it was first announced I was completely blown apart. Obviously with how my mental health was before anyway, that multiplied it. She’s been the one supporting me! It should be the other way round, but people say that, it always seems to be the person going through it that’s the strongest.
“Vikki was going through radiotherapy while I was playing at the Crucible so in a way it did take my focus off the tournament. I was playing and thinking, ‘If I get beat, so what?’ I said to Vikki that I wanted to be with her going through the radiotherapy but she was saying, ‘Look it’s only 20 minutes every day.’ I wanted to be there to support her, going through it, but she wanted me to play.”
It has been an awful time for the family as Vikki’s best friend Nina Webb passed away from the same disease last month at the age of just 44. Inevitably these circumstances have tested Selby’s own mental health, which he bravely spoke about two years ago.
The world number five said this week: “I’m always going to get lapses. When I was working with the doctor, who’s helped me no end, he said it will never go away, you will get moments when it comes back, it’s just about dealing with them. I know how to deal with them better now. I used to switch myself off, lock myself away and not do anything. I thought that was the right thing, but I actually needed to do the opposite.
“Playing does help because it gives me a purpose, I’m doing it for Vikki and [daughter] Sofia, to put food on the table, so I’ve got a drive to keep going for them.”
I’m wishing Vikki and the whole family the best possible outcome and a long future together. I have met Vikki several times, she’s a kind but very strong lady. She’s the pilar of the family.
Sometimes when a player underperforms, fans are quick to accuse them of laziness, or worse, of cheating. We do not know what they live through privately, we should remember that. And, because they are kind of “public figures” doesn’t give us a right to know everything private happening to them. We should always respect their privacy and refrain from judging.
I have just learned that one of my snooker friends, John Mc Bride, is terminally ill. He’s suffering from pancreatic cancer. He has got months to live, at best. He too has a family, a wife, Cathy, and two young sons. One of their friends has set up a fundraising to help the family facing the medical costs.
Finally, the 2024 WSF Championship continues today, with the round of 64. You can follow the event here. There is also one table streamed on the WPBSA Youtube channel.
Also, starting today, is the 2024 CLS Group 5. I’m not sure why the above article states that you can watch it on Matchroom.live “in the UK”. I can watch it in Greece as well … with a subscription of course.
WST Adds New China Event To 2024-25 Calendar With Inaugural Xi’an Grand Prix
The World Snooker Tour’s successful return to China will be strengthened during the 2024/25 season with the new Xi’an Grand Prix world ranking event.
Staged under a new multi-year agreement with the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association and Shaanxi Sports Industry Group Limited, the tournament will be the first ever WST event in the historic city of Xi’an in China’s Shaanxi Province.
Running from August 19-25 in its inaugural year, the Xi’an Grand Prix will have total prize money of £850,000 and a top prize of £177,000, with the prize money to increase in subsequent years to £875,000 and then £900,000.
Xi’an, which has a population of 13 million, is the capital of the Shaanxi Province in central China. It is renowned as the furthest eastern point of the Silk Road trade route which dates back over 2,000 years. Xi’an was also the capital of a series of ancient dynasties and is home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors. These days, Xi’an is celebrated as the cultural, financial and educational centre of the region.
“This is fantastic news for our players and fans as we continue our global development and particularly our presence in China. During the 2023/24 season we have been able to stage events in mainland China for the first time since 2019 and this return has been a great success, with three world ranking events as well as one invitation tournament, and a fabulous reception from our friends and partners in the cities we have visited.”
Steve Dawson
WST Chairman
Dawson added: “We are thrilled and excited to announce a new event and to be heading for the first time to the fascinating location of Xi’an, with its remarkable history and culture. The local fans will have the chance to see their heroes play live. And for the players this is another opportunity to experience a new location, while competing and earning a high level of prize money.
“Our particular thanks go to the CBSA for their long term dedication to growing our sport throughout China, and to Shaanxi Sports Industry Group Limited. We look forward to working with them closely on the first Xi’an Grand Prix and to a successful long term partnership.”
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “The WPBSA is delighted to see this new event added to the World Snooker Tour. This is a stunning destination and a significant major ranking event which will benefit our full playing membership. On behalf of our players and officials, I must express our thanks to all our partners, both at WST and in China.”
Provisional dates for further events in China during the 2024/25 season are:
Shanghai Masters: July (dates TBC) Xi’an Grand Prix qualifiers: July 25-28 Xi’an Grand Prix: August 19-25 Wuhan Open qualifiers: August 26–28 International Championship qualifiers: October 1–4 Wuhan Open: October 7-13 International Championship: November 3-10 World Open qualifiers: December 16–19 World Open: March 3-9
Whilst the qualifiers for the 2024 Welsh Open are under way, WPBSa has published some important information regarding the qualifying routes leading to tour cards for next season.
The World Snooker Federation (WSF) Championships take place at the Grand Blue Fafa Resort in Golem, Albania between 29 January and 11 February 2024.
The winners of both the WSF Junior Championship and WSF Championship will earn two-year tour cards for the World Snooker Tour from the start of the 2024/25 season.
Please find important information about the events below:
WSF JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
The tournament, won last year by Stan Moody, takes place between 29 January and 2 February.
The provisional format for both competitions is as follows:
All group matches will be the best of 5 frames.
The top two players in each group will progress to the knockout rounds
All knockout rounds up to and including the semi-finals will be the best of 7 frames.
The final will be the best of 9 frames.
VENUE
Both events will take place at Grand Blue Fafa Resort in Golem, Albania. The full address for the venue can be found below:
Grand Blue Fafa Resort Rruga Kompleksit 1000 Golem Albania
CONTACT
Should you have any questions or concerns then you can contact us directly via our website or social media platforms.
In total 211 players have entered the main event which is quite impressive. All the names you would expect to find there, and more, are in, including Tony Knowles 😮. Maybe less expected is Luo Hong Hao. I wonder if he will be able to make it this time.
There are some women in the main draw too, most notably On Yee and So Man Yan from Hong Kong. It probably helps that there is a Women Snooker event, the 2024 Albanian Women’s Open, happening at the same dates, at the same venue.
Qualification Criteria Set For Q Tour Global Play-Off
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) is pleased to confirm how the field of 24 players for this season’s newly relaunched Global Q Tour Play-Off will be completed.
The prestigious event will be held alongside the EBSA European Championships in Bosnia & Herzegovina from 13-15 March 2024 and for the first time will see three places on the World Snooker Tour from the start of the 2024/25 season contested
It can now be confirmed that 18 players from the Q Tour UK/Europe Rankings will qualify for the playoff, an increase of two from the minimum of 16 previously announced at the start of the season.
They will be joined by two players from each of the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Americas series’ who will complete the 24-player line-up in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
With events still to be played across the globe, there is still plenty to play for. Here is a round-up of the current state of play:
Success in the three of the six Q Tour UK/Europe events already held this season means that Michael Holt has an unassailable lead at the top of the rankings and has already secured his World Snooker Tour card for the 2024/25 season.
There is still plenty to play for, however, with 18 places at the Global Play-Off available for those ranked 2nd to 19th.
Previous event winners Liam Davies, Umut Dikme and Antoni Kowalski are automatically guaranteed qualification, but for players further down the list, it will no doubt be a nervy weekend in Leeds as just 1,000 points separate the players ranked between 11th and 28th in the current ranking list.
Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh dominated the first two events of the Middle East series, winning back-to-back events in January with final victories over Habib Humood (4-0) and Mohamed Shehab (4-3) to secure his place at the Global Play-Off regardless of what happened in the third event.
A first round exit for Sarkhosh in event three meant there would be a new winner in Abu Dhabi and it was Shehab, who had led 3-0 at one stage in the final of event two before being defeated by the Iranian, who made amends by beating Yazan Alhaddad in the final and securing the second available spot in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Canadian Vito Puopolo currently sits in poll position in the Americas ranking list following a victory in the first event in Toronto.
Puopolo, who played at the Crucible Theatre in last year’s World Seniors Championship, beat Matt Fifield, Charlie Brown and Alan Whitfield to set up a final with fellow countryman Jason Williams.
He had dropped just a single frame en route to the final and Puopolo was once again dominant in the title match, storming into a 4-0 lead and ultimately overcoming Williams 5-1 to secure the event one crown.
Puopolo and Williams currently sit in the qualifying places for the Global Play-Off but with events still to come in the USA and Brazil, it remains all to play for.
It remains tight at the top of the Q Tour Asia-Pacific ranking list with the top two places being held by players who picked up maximum points in one of the two events held so far, and zero points in the other.
Event one took place in New Zealand in September and October and it was Rob Redgrove who defeated Adam Shaw in a final frame decider to secure the event one title and an early lead in the race to Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Former main tour professional Vinnie Calabrese was the champion of the second event, held in Sydney. Calabrese stormed through an impressive field of 111 players to lift the title – beating Steve Mifsud 6-3 in the final.
Redgrove and Calabrese currently occupy the top two places in the ranking list, but with the third event still to be played later this week, nobody in this region is yet guaranteed qualification for the Global Play-Off.
Giants of the baize including Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy local favourite Mark Selby and defending champion Mark Allen will be in action at the World Grand Prix at the Morningside Arena in Leicester in January.
The prestigious event, with a field of only the best 32 players from the one-year ranking list, will run from January 15 to 21.
…
Player of the season so far Judd Trump gets the tournament underway on the evening of Monday January 15 in a clash with Jamie Jones. The opening round will also see blockbuster battles including John Higgins taking on Shaun Murphy and Mark Allen facing Jack Lisowski.
The full first round schedule is:
Monday January 15
7pm Judd Trump v Jamie Jones Chris Wakelin v Lyu Haotian Followed by Mark Selby v Yuan Sijun Ali Carter v Wu Yize
Tuesday January 16
1pm John Higgins v Shaun Murphy Stephen Maguire v Zhou Yuelong Followed by Gary Wilson v David Gilbert Hossein Vafaei v Matthew Selt
7pm Mark Williams v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Tom Ford v Jordan Brown Followed by Ronnie O’Sullivan v Pang Junxu Barry Hawkins v Cao Yupeng
Wednesday January 17
1pm Ding Junhui v Ricky Walden Noppon Saengkham v Xiao Guodong Followed by Mark Allen v Jack Lisowski Zhang Anda v Dominic Dale
The World Grand Prix is the first of three events in the 2024 Players Series, to be followed by the Players Championship in Telford in February and the Tour Championship at Manchester Central in April.
Following the massive success of the MrQ UK Championship, World Snooker Tour (WST) is pleased to announce MrQ as the new Lead Partner of The Masters, the sport’s greatest invitation event, to be contested by the best 16 players on the planet.
The MrQ Masters will run from January 7 to 14 at the iconic Alexandra Palace in London. Celebrating the 50th staging of this historic tournament, which was first held in 1975, WST is delighted to join forces with MrQ.com for one of the outstanding events of the global tour.
Popular UK-based online casino MrQ launched in 2018 and established a modern, easy to use platform to provide a fun and transparent customer experience.
MrQ’s first partnership with snooker came at the recent UK Championship in York. The event achieved tremendous viewing figures, with a peak audience of 2.6 million for the final on BBC, and a cumulative audience of 14.3 million across the event on BBC and UK Eurosport.
MrQ has now grasped the opportunity to join forces with WST again for another of snooker’s Triple Crown Series. The MrQ Masters will bring packed crowds to Alexandra Palace, with all standard tickets for the 2,000-seat arena sold out weeks in advance.
Judd Trump will defend the title, in a field full of giants of the baize including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Luca Brecel, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Mark Allen and many more.
MrQ’s Head of Acquisition James Booth said: “We were elated by the success of the MrQ UK Championship, we had not fully appreciated snooker’s vast reach and popularity, in terms of its live and television audience. We look forward to seeing this partnership taken to the next level at the MrQ Masters in London.
“We’re particularly excited about getting involved with the fan experience at Ally Pally, renowned as the best of its kind on the snooker circuit, including interactive games. As always we’ll be bringing an extra element of fun for fans coming for a great day out.”
WST’s Chief Commercial Officer Peter Wright said: “We’re delighted to develop this relationship with MrQ, our lead partner for two of the three Triple Crown events this season. Clearly they were amazed by the incredible atmosphere at the UK Championship and the exceptional data that came out of the event, so naturally they were very motivated to extend their relationship with a rapidly growing sport.
“We can now look forward to the MrQ Masters, which in recent years has increased its appeal to become one of the hottest tickets across London. We look forward to working with the MrQ team on this elite event.”
…
I can’t say I’m thrilled… you know my thoughts about bookies and betting in general. It’s a plague…
The 2024 Championship League Snooker line-up has been revealed on the event site.
This line-up will certainly change, it always does. As it stand Ronnie has entered the event, but in the last Group , Group 7.
This event is not everybody’s cup of tea (coffee for me, please) but I like it because the players usually play with a lot of freedom and it’s often very pleasant to watch.
Commission agrees £691,000 regulatory settlement with MrQ
20th September 2023 | By Zak Thomas-Akoo
20th September 2023
The GB Gambling Commission agreed a £690,947 (€798,643/ $853,793) regulatory settlement with MrQ operator Lindar Media for anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility breaches.
The Commission began its regulatory review of MrQ after it made a compliance assessment in September 2022.
The review found failings in the online bingo and igaming operator’s processes for stopping money laundering and protecting people from being harmed by gambling.
It also found that Lindar Media had breached several of its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). These ranged from AML to social responsibility failings.
The Commission said that, based on these failures and considering the operator’s actions since the assessment, it had agreed a £690,947 regulatory settlement with Lindar Media. This money will be directed to social responsible causes.
Findings of the compliance assessment
The GC outlined the specific failings it had found in Lindar Media’s compliance assessment. These included weaknesses in its implementation of AML policies, procedures and controls.
The regulator also discovered shortcomings in its responsible gambling policies, procedures, controls and practices. It highlighted failures that extended to its reporting as to when key events took place.
Other deficiencies included Lindar’s head of regulatory compliance taking additional management posts without Commission approval.
The operator also did not advertise its products in a socially responsible way. Finally, it failed to make its required research, prevention and treatment contributions to an organisation supporting those harmed by gambling.
“You win some, you lose some”
Responding to the regulatory settlement, Lindar Media said that the breaches happened during a time of growth for the business and that safer gambling policies had been improved since the time of the failures.
“My focus since 2022 has been centred around maturing the day-to-day operations through the development of the senior leadership team,” said Lindar Media chief executive Savvas Fellas.
“We’ve implemented scalable processes that provide consistency as we grow and built technology-driven models that underpin compliance and safer gambling promises to our players; all of which are aligned with our mission of offering progressive, value entertainment – with delight and transparency,” he added.
Money laundering and terrorist financing failures
Licence condition 12.1.1(1) says licence holders must assess their money laundering and terrorist financing (ML and TF) risk.
The Commission said MrQ failed to have an appropriate assessment for these risks. This was because it did not assess risk relating to customers, their means of payment, or additional inherent and emerging risks.
The ML and TF assessment also did not address key risk factors. These include customers associating with higher risk countries, along with a disproportionate spend relative to their wealth and business arrangements taking place in unusual circumstances.
Other risks not accounted for related to a customer being the beneficiary of a life insurance policy as well as when a customer is a foreign national applying for residence in return for transfers of capital.
The Commission also said Lindar breached licence condition 12.1.1(2) which outlines the operator’s responsibility for putting in place ML and TF controls.
Lindar failed to have appropriate measures in place. This included the company’s practice of automatically assigning a “low” level of ML risk to new customers.
The Commission said that, at this point, there would be not enough information to give them a rating. It assessed there was an over-reliance on financial triggers to identify and maintain ML risks.
The Commission also noted that financial thresholds for ML were too high, thereby allowing customers to deposit and lose more than £10,000. The regulator said this “did not appear to be sufficiently risk-based”.
MrQ’s social responsibility breaches
MrQ’s licence condition 15.2.1(4) makes clear licensees must notify the Commission within five working days after a key event takes place.
The operator did not inform the Commission promptly when its head of regulatory compliance left the position in June 2022. As such, the regulator found that the business was in breach of the licence condition between 20 June and September 2022.
The online bingo business also failed to comply with paragraphs 1a, 1b and 2 of the Social Responsibility Codes of Practice 3.4.1 (Customer Interaction).
These rules outline how licensees must interact with customers in a manner that minimise the risk of customers experiencing harms associated with gambling.
Lindar Media failed to identify customers at risk of experiencing gambling harms. Its financial and safer gambling triggers “were not always effective”, especially when dealing with customers depositing at a high velocity.
Disproportionate spend relative to personal circumstances was not considered until large amounts of money had been lost. When MrQ did consider personal circumstances, it did so using County Court judgements and bankruptcy data which was not always effective.
MrQ’s advertising failures
The Commission criticised the company for allowing its agents to use cartoon imagery to advertise the business. This is because of its appeal to children.
Surely such association is much more damaging to the sport’s image, and hence its future, than a handful of top players opting out of a rather minor event in favour of an unstreamed exhibition in China, earning some money whilst sparing themselves a tiring back and forth trip across several time zones…
Any player making two maximum breaks during this season’s Triple Crown Series will be rewarded with a massive £147,000 bonus.
This new initiative applies to the 2023 MrQ UK Championship, the 2024 Masters and the 2024 Cazoo World Championship. A player who makes two maximums (either a 147 or 155) in either the qualifying rounds or the final stages of those three tournaments will earn the huge bonus.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “There is nothing quite as exhilarating in snooker as a maximum break, those moments bring us to the edge of our seats. And we’re making that achievement all the more special this season during our Triple Crown events.
“We’d love to see at least one player make a 147 at the MrQ UK Championship which would give them two more tournaments to chase the bonus. Last season we saw maximums from Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby at the Crucible – imagine the thrill if there was an extra £147,000 on the line!
“The skill level in snooker now is higher than ever and we expect this new prize will give the players extra motivation to go for maximum breaks.”
The bonus would be awarded in addition to the high break prizes for the individual events.
Up to three players could win this bonus, for example if three different players each made two 147s then they would each win £147,000. Or if one player made six maximums then he would bank £441,000!
The counting events are:
MrQ UK Championship. November 18-23 (qualifying rounds) and November 25 to December 3 The Masters. January 7-14. Cazoo World Championship. April 8-17 (qualifying rounds) and April 20 to May 6.
Looks great he? Well the snooker.org team had a good look at the stats. In the history of the game so far, a player having 2 maximum breaks in the course of those three events happened only once, in 2007/08 when Ronnie had one against Mark Selby in the 2007 UK Championship semi-finals, and another one in the last 16 of the 2008 World Championship against Mark Williams. In total there was never more than three maximums made during those three events combined in a season, and, other than Ronnie’s “double”, they were always made by three different players. So, this, in my eyes is just a publicity coup, as WST probably looked at the stats and know that the “risk” they are taking is very, very small … No player in their right mind will take the risk to go for a maximum in the second most important ranking tournament of the season, unless, maybe, if they are so far behind that they have forfeited any serious hope to win the match in progress.
This season eight “week winners” will compete for the biggest price in amateur snooker.
They are Michael Holt, Harvey Chandler, Lee Walker, Hayden Staniland, Josh Thomond, Dharminder Lilly, Andy Lavin and Nic Barrow. Good luck to them all!
Here is what happened on week 8
On Monday … Wayne Townsend bet Patrick Wallace in the final
On Tuesday … Fergal Quinn beat Hayden Staniland in the final
On Wednesday … Hayden Staniland was our winner
The event was well supported! By pool legend Jayson Shaw and … by the local pub!
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and UAE Cue Sports have announced the launch of a new Middle East Series of events as the latest addition to WPBSA Q Tour Global.
Following the launch of both the Asia-Pacific and Americas Series previously, the Middle East region represents another significant addition to the newly expanded WPBSA Q Tour Global, which will see 24 players contest three places on the professional World Snooker Tour for the next two seasons.
The playoff will feature a minimum of 16 players from the UK/Europe rankings, who will now be joined by up to eight international qualifiers – including one from the Middle East region – from across the globe.
MIDDLE EAST SERIES
The WPBSA Q Tour Middle East Series will include three recognised tournaments to be held at the Cue Sports Academy, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi and will operate its own ranking list with the top ranked player following the third event to qualify for the Global Playoff next spring.
The qualifying events will be:
Event 1 – 4-10 January 2024
Event 2 – 11-17 January 2024
Event 3 – 18-24 January 2024
Events will be open to players holding nationality for the following countries:
Provisional African countries eligible: Egypt, Libya, Morocco
Provisional European countries eligible: Israel, Turkey
All players cannot have played in Q Tour UK/Europe during this season.
“A KEY GROWTH AREA”
Jason Ferguson, WPBSA Chairman said: “I am delighted to welcome the Middle East region to the WPBSA Q Tour Global in what is unquestionably a groundbreaking moment for our sport.
“We have been aware for several years of the great talent that exists in this region, none more so than our former Shoot Out champion Hossein Vafaei on the World Snooker Tour. We firmly believe this project will grow throughout the Middle East with many countries already active in snooker. It is vital that all players have the ability through localised events to have the opportunity to enjoy a successful career in our sport at the highest level.
“I must thank our friend Mohamad Shehab Al Hashmi for his support of this important project. Mohamed Shehab is without doubt the most decorated athlete for cuesports in the Middle East and we look forward to welcoming UAE Cue Sports as a Q Tour host venue next January.”
Mohamed Shehab Al Hashmi said, UAE Cue Sports and 12-time Arab champion said: “It is a great honour for UAE Cue Sports to be able to host these prestigious tournaments, with the top ranked player to be able to represent our region at the Q Tour Global playoff next year.
“The Middle East region is home to so many talented snooker players and we are excited to be able to provide them with this incredible opportunity to be able to compete with the best players around the world and to earn their place on the professional tour.“
Full tournament information, including entry and results will be available via WPBSA SnookerScores in due course.
Since when is Israel a European country and not a Middle East country? I’m not sure. Every geography book will tell you it’s in the Middle East. This distinction, for me, is just a trick to allow Israel exclusion from the final list as many of the Islam dominated countries cited above will not want them in there. Often in the past, when IBSF has organised events in the region, Israeli athletes were refused the necessary visas. Also, some countries – like Iran – might forbid their own players to play Israeli players. That happened even on the main tour when Hossein Vafaei was set to play Eden Sharav. Whatever your opinion on the current conflict, you have to understand that this is not right. WPBSA must obtain the guaranties that this will not happen.
Snooker in CRISIS with Mark Selby, John Higgins and world champion Luca Brecel leading a player mutiny – as Ronnie O’Sullivan brands governing body’s stance ‘b****cks’
Selby, Higgins and Brecel are among five players to have snubbed a key event
The trio have shunned this month’s Northern Ireland Open to play in Macau
Mark Selby, John Higgins and world champion Luca Brecel are leading a player mutiny – handing an embarrassing snub to snooker bosses.
Four-time world champions Selby and Higgins plus the reigning Crucible king Brecel – along with Ali Carter and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh – have shunned this month’s official Northern Ireland Open.
Despite threats of legal action from World Snooker Tour, the five decided not to enter Belfast and opt instead for a lucrative Macau exhibition.
WST bosses sent first emails and then strongly-worded letters claiming if the players took part in Macau they would be breaching contracts, harming the game and facing disciplinary action.
But lawyers representing the players reckon the threats are baseless since they did not enter the Northern Ireland event, and believe they are just doing what they want on their own time.
Both John Higgins (left) and world champion Luca Brecel have shunned the Northern Ireland Open
And world No1 Ronnie O’Sullivan, himself playing in a Shanghai exhibition this month, has backed the ‘Macau Five’ – describing WST’s stance as ‘b*ll*cks, trying to scare players like that’.
Many of the players involved are furious over what they see as heavy-handed tactics. Part-organiser Victoria Shi, owner of a Sheffield academy, has also been threatened with action.
Selby, who has suffered badly with mental health issues in recent years, is understood to have requested he receive no further correspondence on the matter.
This comes with another highly-paid unofficial event featuring O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Jack Lisowski and Ding Junhui looming even sooner this month in Shanghai.
The Shanghai exhibition takes place during the Northern Ireland Open qualifying event. Top-16 players involved could still appear at the final stages given their opening rounds are held over.
But WST were also unhappy with big names playing this event – believing it will leave the qualifiers in the shade. They originally banned the players from taking part – before softening their stance.
And they issued similarly threatening letters to players insisting they keep all involvement in Shanghai quiet demanding a social media and news blackout – and participation in Belfast, for which only Williams is confirmed.
The player-power situation presents a huge challenge for the governing body going forward, with big-name stars openly flouting their authority – and lawyers no doubt licking their lips.
With Chinese tournaments back in the calendar this season after three years following the Covid pandemic, WST had been hoping for a smoother ride in 2023-24.
But after those years of reduced earnings new opportunities are opening up in the Far and Middle East. Players want to cash in – leading to the current row.
And events of the week have highlighted a chasm between the best players and the game’s rulers. There has even been hushed talk of a boycott of January’s prestigious Masters.
O’Sullivan has been among those fiercely critical of some aspects of the way the tour is organised, the venues used in the UK, and the treatment of the players outside Asia.
He has even in the past suggested the possibility of a breakaway tour – which today sounds less fanciful than it did.
WST were accused earlier this year of attempting to gag players and bar them speaking to the media about a large meeting discussing the future of the sport.
But on this occasion it appears any similar attempts have backfired, with the players involved calling WST’s bluff over both Macau and Shanghai.
O’Sullivan, the sport’s biggest draw, has led calls for players to be able to maximise their earnings.
On the Shanghai exhibition, he said: ‘There is absolutely no reason to try and stop me and other players going to Shanghai during the Northern Ireland qualifiers.
‘That is a small event, we are not involved, and we could still play in the final stages with our matches being held over.
‘Players are just trying to earn money, it is their choice. And they are realising their value. They are trying to restrict us. Those involved in Shanghai were sent letters advising them not to play.
‘I know for the tournament in Macau players were also sent even stronger threatening letters telling them it was in breach of their contract.
‘That with an opportunity to play in an official tournament they were turning it down and choosing to go somewhere else, and it was damaging for the sport.
‘It is b*ll*cks, trying to scare players like that. It’s wrong and I am glad they have taken a strong stance.
‘This is about players being able to earn what they can, and choose how and when they play. They can enter a tournament – but they don’t have to.
‘They used to try and tell me what to say, until I got a really good lawyer who kicked back at them. If they want to play silly games, we can all play silly games.’
WST were asked a number of pertinent questions, and given the opportunity to respond to the story. A spokesperson would say only: ‘WST does not publicly discuss private conversations with the players, or share contractual information.’
I’m not sure why this is seen as a “mutiny”. My understanding was always that players are not obliged to enter any event, and can play in what they want in their “free” time provided that it is not televised or streamed, unless they get permission from WST. After all they are essentially self-employed, although the guaranteed 20000 pounds may have changed that situation slightly. But, as far as I know, the players don’t get anything from WST/WPBSA, when they retire, so they need to secure their financial future whilst they still can. Higgins, Selby and Carter are all over 40 and in the last part of their professional career.
The streaming/television restriction was applied with sometimes ridiculous rigour in the past, notably when Paul Mount was forced to stop streaming the Pink Ribbon, a big charity pro-am, raising funds to support breast cancer research and care, that was happening in the middle of the summer when nothing else was on or even close to happen. But this is much higher profile and it does clash with a WST event.
What has changed of course in recent years is that, even if promoters do not stream or televise events, fans are now taking and sharing a lot of images and videos over social media providing huge exposure totally out of the control of the governing body.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 