Shaun Murphy urges fans to reserve judgement on Saudi Arabia event - 'People in glass houses need to be careful'
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Published 19/01/2024 at 17:41 GMT
Shaun Murphy thinks snooker's inaugural event in Saudi Arabia will be good for the sport and urged people to reserve judgement. The top eight players in the world and two wildcards will be invited to play in the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker from March 4-6, with the event set to feature a golden ball worth 20 points, which can only be potted at the end of a maximum break.
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Shaun Murphy has urged fans to give snooker’s inaugural event in Saudi Arabia a chance, following the announcement of the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.
The 10-player invitational tournament, made up of the top eight players in the world and two wildcards, is set to take place from March 4-6 and feature seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, as well as 2019 Crucible winner Judd Trump and the current holder Luca Brecel.
It will be held under traditional World Snooker rules with one difference: a 23rd ball, known as the Riyadh Season ball, which is gold in colour and worth 20 points, will be introduced but can only be potted after a player has completed a maximum break.
The announcement of an event in Saudi Arabia was met with some backlash given the country’s record on human rights, but world No. 6 Murphy implored people to reserve judgement.
“Obviously there is a question over human rights as there should be, but if we (World Snooker Tour) only traded with countries with perfect human rights records, it would be a very, very small pool to pick from,” Murphy told the PA news agency.
“We wouldn’t be trading with the UK either. We haven’t covered ourselves in glory over hundreds of years, going around invading other countries, so people in glass houses need to be careful where they throw their stones.”
Muphy compared the Saudi event to the Shoot Out, which has become a favourite on the calendar after being met with initial scepticism.
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“It was heresy when the Shoot Out was brought in as a ranking event - people were nearly out with torches on the streets - but I haven’t met a single person who has been to the Shoot Out and not enjoyed it,” Murphy added.
“You should never criticise something unless you’ve tried it. It’s just something different and it’s not the first time the sport has tried new ideas.
“I imagine they (WST) had to make a few concessions to get the event over the line, and the new promoters in Saudi will want their event to stand out and be different. At the end of the day you’d rather have the event than not.”
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