Media partner of the UMB from 2010 to 2019, Kozoom has largely contributed to the development and promotion of the world competitions by co-financing, producing and broadcasting them, on the web or on television. Since his clash in 2020 with his Korean partner, whose company is now known as 5&6, the President of Kozoom Group, Xavier Carrer had never spoken. Today he shares his views on the crisis that UMB must overcome.
Jérémie Picart: What is your opinion on the situation of UMB with the departure of Dani Sanchez and other players?
Xavier Carrer : Am I in a good position to criticize a system that Kozoom helped to put in place? Maybe not, but in any case, I can't be accused of not knowing what I'm talking about. If Kozoom distanced itself 3 years ago from its Korean partner and de facto the UMB, it is because we were in a dead end. Read again the "statement" we published at the time where I explained that we were no longer willing to co-finance a conflict with the PBA and that our Korean partner was leading us into an impasse.
JP: But what impasse is that?
XC: With this new wave of departures to the PBA, the UMB is now at a standstill. The problem for President Barki is that he has put all his eggs in one basket: media rights, including those of invitational tournaments, organisational rights outside of the world cups and world championships, sponsorship of balls and sheets... Everything has been bought by the 5&6 company or its partners for whom it distributes the products. So what room for manoeuvre does UMB have if its Korean partner refuses any compromise? There is no room for manoeuvre because UMB has no other choice than to follow the instructions of the one who finances it. This is where we are. The system is sclerotic and it risks impacting the federations if their best players leave and are excluded from traditional competitions.
JP: So the UMB has no room for manoeuvre?
XC : Of course there are other options. Have you seen what is happening in pool at the moment? The WPA is working with a number of promoters, including Matchroom and Predator Pro Billiard Series, who are adding to the calendar with a number of tournaments and an ever increasing prize money. It's a win-win situation. Players are free to play all these pro tournaments and the WPA's main task is to manage the calendar as best as possible to avoid clashes of dates. The UMB should learn from this.
JP : You seem to have radically changed your mind since Kozoom withdrew from the UMB...
XC : In France, we have a popular expression which says: only idiots don't change their mind. But more seriously, my opinion has changed because the situation has changed. From 2017 to 2019, we had signed a unique contract with a major Korean TV channel MBC Sports+ to broadcast the UMB circuit. To keep the best players in UMB, we funded new tournaments (3CC, Survival and Continental Cup) at a loss, guaranteeing even more prize money to the top 20 ranked players in UMB. At that time, I thought that we had to do it to be able to sign a better TV contract or at least preserve a balance of power in case of negotiation with the PBA. In the end, we did not renew any TV contract and my partner refused any agreement with the PBA. The players stayed and Covid only postponed what I thought was inevitable three years ago.
William Oh and Xavier Carrer visiting MBC studios in 2016
JP: But why do players choose the PBA now?
XC: Would you stay if you were guaranteed double or triple your salary? Let's be serious... They are professionals. They were loyal and trusted us five years ago. Now they have good reason to doubt when the prize money of the last 5&6 tournament in Korea has not yet been paid yet 3 months after the event, and the prize money of the World Cups has not grown by one euro within 5 years. At the same time, their colleague Cho Jae Ho has just won €135,000 on the PBA final tournament! Players had good reason to doubt when the PBA was launched but after five years it has survived Covid, its separation from Bravo & New, it is paying more and more prize money and its calendar is solid.
JP: In fact, you are now justifying the choice of Dani Sanchez when you were not so understanding for Fred Caudron!
XC: Again, try to understand: the situation was different in 2018. When Fred Caudron chose the PBA, he had just won almost €300,000 in prize money over his UMB season. Admittedly, this amount was well helped by the exceptional contribution of the Mc Creery but it was unheard of. While we were losing money that year on our tournaments where he pocketed $50,000, should we have thanked him for choosing the PBA and lobbying the players behind our backs? No, I didn't thank him for that even though I understand that with the amount of money he was offered, many other players would have done the same thing. But that's in the past. Today, I think that with the newcomers to the PBA, Fred Caudron will find his best game. Such big champion needs challenges to give his best. No billiard lover could complain about that.
JP: How do you see things in the future?
XC: I don't believe in a brutal transition that would consist of classifying the pros on one side and the amateurs on the other. I understand that this is the goal of the PBA in the long run, but this is not the best way to start discussions with the federations today. Players need to be able to choose the best of both worlds and that means a common calendar without the threat of sanctions. Time is not on the side of the UMB with an ageing top 10 and if it sticks to this strategy, the die is cast and its circuit will may look like the raft of the medusa or second division competitions. Knowing the 5&6 boss well and his ability to find compromises, I am rather pessimistic for the UMB, unless 5&6 faces economic reality about its media/sponsorship business and Farouk Barki finds his freedom of action to dialogue with the PBA. I saw him in Las Vegas last month and he looks in very good shape. That's good, because it's going to take a lot of energy to get through this crisis. If he fails, I'm afraid it will be one term too many for him.
JP: What about Kozoom in the last few years?
XC : Kozoom has survived Covid like many other French companies, thanks to aid and loans guaranteed by the government which we are now paying back. We were even able to build our own building in Andernos with a video studio which will host other billiard events this year. Our new website is finally online. It will soon be completed by a forum. We have also launched a non stop streaming TV channel. Although we no longer cover the UMB and EPBF circuits, we produce and broadcast all PBS Pool circuit and CEB Carom events. This keeps us quite busy while we look for new opportunities.
JP: Why didn't you renew the 3-Cushion Kozoom Challenge Cup this year?
XC : We needed a break to take a breather but it's not just that: to be honest, I was quite disappointed by the low attendance at the live finals. In 2021, we could still blame it on Covid. Not in 2022. It's getting harder and harder to move Carom fans. We also need to improve our local promotion. I have the feeling that our 1500 spectators at the world championships in Bordeaux were a different era... But don't worry, other projects are maturing and our partners are still ready to trust us.
The studio Kozoom in Andernos (France)
where qualification stages of the Challenge Cup have been played.