Luca Brecel, Mark Selby and John Higgins in risk of ‘breach of contract’ by skipping Northern Ireland Open – WST

The World Snooker Tour has said that any player skipping the upcoming Northern Ireland Open can be considered in breach of contract with rumours swirling that big names will miss the Home Nations event.

The players named are current world champion Luca Brecel, multiple world champions Mark Selby and John Higgins plus Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter. The statement says these five players have withdrawn their entry.

The WST said they were “disappointed” and added that this can be considered as “being in breach of the terms of their player contract” despite stressing that it is not compulsory for every WST player to enter every WST event.

The WST is disappointed to hear that a number of players under contract with the WST have elected not to play in a WST event, preferring instead to play in a non-sanctioned event in Macau thereby being in breach of the terms of their player contract.

Following recent speculation and the publication of an article containing many inaccuracies, the WST would like to make its position clear regarding non-sanctioned exhibition events.

It is important to stress that WST players do not have to enter all WST events, they have the freedom to choose, which has always been the case. This level of freedom is unlike any other sport where players have voluntarily opted to enter contracts with their club/organisation. However, with this level of freedom we do make clear in our player contracts that a player must not do anything that is detrimental to the WST or a WST event. It is without doubt that playing in a non-sanctioned event instead of playing in a WST event is detrimental to that WST event.

Given the exhibition event in Macau directly clashes with the final stages of the Northern Ireland Open, a player’s participation in it would constitute a breach of their player contract given that to compete in Macau, the player would not be available to compete in the Northern Ireland Open thereby devaluing the Northern Ireland Open.

Unfortunately, despite engaging in email correspondence and phone calls intended to best explain our position and enable the players to make informed decisions, five players (four of whom are ranked within the top 16) have decided not to compete in the Northern Ireland Open and have withdrawn their entry in order to play in Macau. These players are Mark Selby, John Higgins, Luca Brecel, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter, none of whom will therefore appear in Belfast.

As a result, if these players decide to participate in the exhibition in Macau, the WST will have no alternative but to refer them to the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee for breach of their player contract, and this has been clearly communicated to the players.

Taking necessary action in these circumstances protects WST events on behalf of the fans who attend and follow our events through television and social media, our sponsors/commercial partners, broadcasters/streaming partners and most importantly, the other 125 members of the WST.

WST has always been and will continue to be supportive of a player’s earning opportunities outside of the WST provided that these do not distract, devalue, or conflict with the WST or a WST event. Players and promoters have ample opportunity to play in and host non-sanctioned events during gaps in the WST calendar. The WST does not therefore support any clash with a WST event and would consider a player’s decision to prioritise a non-sanctioned event clashing with a WST event to be a breach of their player contract, as this would undoubtedly result in sizeable financial implications to the WST including loss of broadcast income, and sponsorship and ticket sales revenue let alone losses due to any reputational damage.

We reiterate that we are running the sport for all 130 players on the WST, and this will always be our guiding principle.

The trio of snooker’s top stars could face legal action if they do not participate in the Alex Higgins Trophy in Belfast at the end of October.

The International Championship in Tianjin City runs from Sunday, November 5-12 – the first time it has been on the WST since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic – and top players are opting to travel to China early to play in exhibition events in preparation for the lucrative tournament.

In turn, this will mean players would miss the Northern Ireland Open that will be played from Sunday, October 22-29.

The tightly packed 2023/24 schedule has already been scrutinised by players.

The Wuhan Open began on Monday, October 9, one day after the English Open finished in Brentwood, Essex.

The draw for the Northern Ireland Open is yet to be made and players have not officially entered the tournament, with lawyers suggesting the WST’s threats are “baseless” because the players have not actually pulled out.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has already hit out at the WST’s stance of trying to “scare players” while backing the tournament in Macau.

He is one of a number of players who are set to feature in another unofficial, big-money tournament in Shanghai that takes place during the Northern Ireland Open qualifying event, and the WST are concerned that the decision for players to favour the event in China will have a negative impact on the qualifiers in Belfast, even though they could still compete later in the tournament.

“There is absolutely no reason to try and stop me and other players going to Shanghai during the Northern Ireland qualifiers,” O’Sullivan said. “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.

On players choosing to skip the Northern Irish Open, O’Sullivan added: “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*******, 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.”