Players warned over conduct

This was the stark message from World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn yesterday after he announced double world champion Mark Williams and this season’s UK Championship finalist Mark Allen face disciplinary action over controversial comments.

Williams began this year’s Betfred.com World Championship by saying on Twitter how he “hates” playing at the Crucible, called it a “s*** hole” and would “rather play at Pontins”.

That could cost him a fine for breaking players’ contracts which state they cannot criticise venues or sponsors.

But after fining Allen £1,000 for describing conditions at the World Open in China as ‘horrendous’ – the latest in a series of run-ins with the game’s authorities – the world No 11 has landed in further hot water by questioning the integrity of Chinese players after Sunday’s defeat to Cao Yupeng.

The 26-year-old from Northern Ireland was unhappy that Sheffield-based Cao failed to call a foul on himself in the middle of his shock win, after an alleged push shot and, in his post-match press conference, said: “It seems to be a bit of a trait for the Chinese players because there have been instances in the past, of fouls and blatant cheating going on.”

Now Hearn has called for “the very sternest disciplinary action” to be dished out to both players if found guilty of bringing snooker into disrepute.

“We have the powers to do anything, providing we have acted reasonably and the normal rules of the law apply,” warned Hearn. “But it’s a fine, a potential suspension or a ban.

“Mark Allen’s comments at the press conference yesterday, and Mark Williams’s comments on his Twitter, are unacceptable to World Snooker,” he said. “You don’t have a contract unless you have to follow the terms.

“If these comments look likely to bring the game of snooker into disrepute, then the very sternest disciplinary action will be taken against both players.

“It is time for players to understand: prize money has more than doubled in two years; it comes at a price – it’s called professionalism.

“Any player that decides to ignore the players’ contract, that he signs to take advantage of these new benefits in snooker, means they are risking their position on the main tour. This is zero tolerance.

“This is a very good time to be a snooker player,” added Hearn, who announced events in Belgium, Germany, Poland and Bulgaria for next season at a Crucible press conference yesterday. “It’s not a good time to be an idiot.

“I find it so frustrating, why when we are building things up, creating relationships around the world, we have this fantastic support from Sheffield – these people could not be doing more for us – could a double world champion resort to language like that criticising the venue is beyond me.

“It’s absolute lunacy and I hope he gets treated accordingly. If I allow a so-called role model to get away with comments like that what message am I sending out to the standards I expect from young people coming up.”

Hearn is working hard to make snooker global, and with the sport booming in China, he fears unsavoury comments could undermine World Snooker’s cause.

“Everywhere we go, these players are ambassadors of snooker,” he said. “They are chaperones of the image of the game.

“In major expanding markets, and there’s no doubt China is that, big time, they have to bear the responsibility of those comments and the potential loss – not to themselves or whether they don’t get a visa, but the potential loss to the game in general and the desire for the rest of the players to earn a living playing their chosen sport.

“They have responsibility at every level and it concerns me that sometimes it’s a case that the mouth is functioning, but the brain has not been consulted.”

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) have confirmed they will be writing to Allen to initiate disciplinary proceedings.

On the table, there was a shock 10-8 defeat for 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy against Crucible debutant Jamie Jones, while Stephen Maguire was a 10-5 winner against 17-year-old Luca Brecel, at 17 the youngest player to appear at the Crucible. Ronnie O’Sullivan enjoys a 7-2 overnight lead against Peter Ebdon.