CAÏRO - The world billiard association UMB, led by President Farouk Barki, has published on its website an official announcement of the suspensions for players who participated in events for the new Korean organization (PBA). The negotiations between UMB and PBA have failed until now, making it impossible to find any kind of cooperation in organizing tournaments. The Confederations and Federations have been officially informed of the sanctions coming up. The suspensions start on July 15 and until then, PBA players can still participate in the World Cup in Blankenberge and the European Cup for teams in Porto to not disturb the organizations.
In the recent PBA tournament, around twenty European players, one American, one Colombian, and mainly Koreans, took part.
The UMB announces on its website:
Dear sport friends,
''As you may have been previously informed, till now, the negotiations with PBA did not reach a solution. The PBA refuses to follow the UMB rules for the application to Open International Competitions.
PBA plans to yearly organize 20 to 30 events. These tournaments are impossible to fit into our international Sports Calendar that would be conflicting with reserved dates for the UMB core activities: Confederal and Federal Competitions.
UMB has no other option than to suspend any recognized player (member of a UMB Federation) that participates to non-sanctioned PBA competitions.
According to the UMB Statutes and Rules, the Confederations will extend the sanction to their jurisdiction and adequately inform their federations of the imposed consequences as mentioned in the Notification of Suspension to the Player.
‘'During the period of suspension, you are restricted in participation in all events mentioned in the UMB sports calendar and the subsequent events from the UMB Confederations and Federations jurisdictions, except for the mentioned in article 124.4 concerning competitions not related to UMB, which they administer on their own.''
Consequences:
The Confederations and Federations will restrict the suspended players for participation from all their Championships as well as from the subsequent qualifying competitions.
Besides the restriction from participation to the Confederal Club Team Championships, the suspended players may as well be restricted for participation from foreign Club Competitions.
We regret not to have any other option to preserve the basically legitimate objectives of the UMB Worldwide sports pyramid, in favor of the sports development at the Confederal and Federal levels.''
Union Mondiale de Billard