The announcement last week by the players of the BMPAP (Billiard Managers and Professional Players Association of the Philippines) that they would boycott the upcoming WPA World Ten Ball Championship run by their rivals at the BSCP (Billiard and Snooker Congress of the Philippines) may lead those players down a strange road. The BMPAP has announced that they have “received the license” from Matchroom Sport to conduct the WPA world 9-Ball event some three weeks after the World Ten Ball Championship.
What must be considered is the WPA regulation that players in WPA events must be “in good standing” with their home organizations. If the BMPAP players boycott the World Ten Ball event run by the BSCP it is very unlikely that they could then be ‘in good standing' with the home organization, the BSCP. This, then, could lead them to where they would not be allowed to play in the World 9-Ball event run by their own group, the BMPAP. That the BSCP has the player allocation rights for all WPA events puts the BMPAP at a considerable disadvantage in the ongoing feud between the two groups, a feud that is now headed into the courtrooms.
Sponsor wildcard slots will not allow the BMPAP players to get around the ‘good standing' regulation. All players, wildcard or not, are subject to that regulation. AZBilliards will continue to follow the developments in the Philippines very closely and will keep our readers informed. At his point this appears to be the beginning of a very long and winding road.
Things Are Getting Interesting in Manila!
July 15, 2008