PBSA issues its version over Asif, Babar omission

KARACHI: The Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) has finally issued its version regarding the non-participation of holders Muhammad Asif and Babar Masih in the IBSF World 6-Red and Teams Snooker Championships 2018 being staged in Egypt, through a media release on Tuesday, quite a few days after having held its hurriedly convened Executive Committee here at the Karachi Club last week.

“The central contracts for 2019 were sent to all provincial associations on November 16, 2018 for signatures of players. The cueists from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and a few players from Punjab have already signed the contract. The association had decided to renew the contract without waiting till last minute, as last year some players had restored to pressure tactic one day before the national championship 2018 by refusing to participate if contracts did not include terms of their choosing. The PBSA had agreed to what was reasonable and manageable, including increase in daily allowances, monthly players’ honorarium and prize money of winner in all national ranking tournaments,” the PBSA statement said.

“It is pertinent to mention here that the players are aware of the contents of the central contracts, renewed every year, which is evident from the above stated demands placed before the Nationals 2018 and if any change or deviation in the central contract 2019, was observed, the same could have been informed to the association.”

“The two cueists, M Asif and Babar Masih, who refused to sign the contract thereby refusing to represent the country at the said tournament were in contact with the PBSA management throughout the day and it was explained to them that the contract does not have any major deviation from the previous one. As the two players had recently represented Pakistan in the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Myanmar, where the President and the Co-Chairman were also present and the both players were aware of the central contract 2019 which had been forwarded to the Punjab association for execution, the two players failed to mention or discuss the same, if they had any observations regarding the central contract.”