PBSA, cueists at loggerheads over World Cup prize money
KARACHI: The Snooker World Cup prize money has created bad air among the Pakistan Billiard and Snooker Association (PBSA) and Pakistani snooker players as the Association is in no mood of paying the dues, www.sportsencounter.com has learnt.
Sources close to top Pakistani cueists Muhammad Sajjad and Shahid Aftab, told The Sports Encounter scribe that the Association paid the duo a very paltry amount for representing Pakistan in the mega snooker event.
On the other hand, PBSA president Alamgir Sheikh said that the prize money belongs to Association not the players and it was not duty-bound to give the amount to players.
Pakistani top cueist national champion Shahid Aftab and former Asian No 2 Muhmmad Sajjad played Snooker World Cup in July 2011 at Bangkok where Pakistan stood third in their group in the team event and despite of the fact that the duo failed to reach quarter-finals, they still got $7000.
A close source revealed that the PBSA gave them different amounts, Muhmmad Sajjad got Rs41,000 cheque while Shahid Aftab got Rs65,000 cheque, but players were not happy with this amount and they recorded their protest against Alamgir Sheikh the president of PBSA.
The players demanded that the PBSA have to pay that amount which they decided on a day before going to participate in this event.
Sources claimed that the PBSA and the players had decided to equally divide the prize money of the event after deducting expenses of travel and accommodation and after coming back the players and the PBSA decided the trio will get Rs300,000 each but now the PBSA has changed its stance saying the amount is PBSA’s assets.
“We have some issues but we are bound because of central contract which we signed, that’s why we will not comment on it”, Shahid and Sajjad responded when The Sports Encounter contacted.
Meanwhile, the president PBSA, Alamgir Sheikh denied the charges saying that there is noconflict or dispute between the Association and the players.
He said, “That was not an invitational tournament and the PBSA had got invitation for participation, so its prize money is also the property of the Association but we still gave them some amount, but they were not happy then we increased the money and now we will give them Rs200,000 each”.
Alamgir remained silent when this scribe asked that if that amount is the property of PBSA, then why the PBSA paid them Rs200,000 each, He said, “We don’t want any dispute in PBSA, that’s why after their strong protest we increased their money, but Muhammad Sajjad and Shahid Aftab were facing some fines from Asian snooker and world snooker which the PBSA paid so we have to cut that amount from this money”.
On the other hand, PBSA’s vice president Javed Karim said, “I don’t know anything about this dispute because PBSA president takes all steps alone without my output”.
Muhammad Sajjad
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