PBSA responds to Asif, Babar allegations

KARACHI: The Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) 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.

PBSA held an Executive Committee meeting 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 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, Muhammad 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 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,” PBSA added.

The snooker body said the players who held a press conference at Lahore misrepresented facts and were frugal with truth failing to mention that in 2018 their daily allowances were increased, the cash prize was instituted, and six players, including Asif and Sajjad, are already employed and recently the former IBSF World U-18 champion has been offered employment in National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and negotiations are underway with State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for employment of more snooker players.

“The delinquent players are trying to create discord and disharmony by their actions for which they are solely responsible. The association has no grudge or personal dislike. “The PBSA always takes a farsighted approach which will benefit talent by creating competitiveness and it reserves the authority to enforce clauses of the contract and will look into the matter in the best interest of the sport.”