Matchroom’s World Nineball Tour have reportedly ‘reached an agreement’ with the WPA to allow players to participate in tournaments without facing sanctioning or potential bans.
Following more than two years of players being caught up in squabbling between two of pool’s biggest entities, which has had a detrimental effect on both sides of the divide, they now appear to have settled their differences.
According to Billiard Pool VN, Matchroom signed an agreement after facing a lawsuit over the rights to the World Pool Championship, with the WPA more likely to gain a favourable verdict as the sport’s governing body.
Should that case have taken place and Matchroom lose their World Championship rights, it would have jeopardised their lucrative contract with Saudi Arabia, with their government only funding the event should it be sanctioned by the WPA.
This agreement was reportedly reached at the beginning of March amidst considerable European Open withdrawals, hence why players who skipped last year’s non-sanctioned Hanoi Open did compete in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Those players who received bans for competing in Vietnam will now reportedly be able to renew their WPA license without facing a fine and therefore be permitted to compete in both WNT and WPA events once again.
These reports come after it was confirmed that anyone will be eligible to qualify for September’s World 10-Ball Championship in Vietnam, even those who were banned by the governing body following the Hanoi Open.
