VEGHEL - This year's World Cup in Veghel, to be played from 22 to 28 October, is heading for a record with the number of potential participants. The list of players is reserved for 149 participants, but already now there is a reserve list of 175 players!!! The last to sign up were Ilhan Demir from Turkey and Giovanni Rametta from Italy, but that list will no doubt continue to grow. The deadline for registration is October 1. According to UMB president Farouk Barki that is already a record: ’’It has never happened before in a World Cup,'' said Barki, who can report that in the first minute of registrations (12.00 to 12.01), 58 players had already registered. Compared to this year's first two World Cups, 2023: for Ho Chi Minh, 33 players were on the reserve list, for Porto 78.
The list for Veghel is headed by Dick Jaspers, the world number one ahead of Marco Zanetti, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Sameh Sidhom and Myung Woo Cho. Martin Horn is the last of the 14 seeded players. Two Dutch wildcards have been given to Jeffrey Jorissen and Sam van Etten, the UMB wildcard goes to Mohamd Abdin from Egypt. On the reserved UMB ranking list, for now, the players include Omer Karakurt, Tolgahan Kiraz, Peter Ceulemans, Roland Forthomme, Jacob Sörensen, Dion Nelin, Gwendal Maréchal, Berkay Karakurt, Jean Paul de Bruijn and Ruben Legazpi. In places 99 and 100 we find young Turk Burak Hashas and Greek Dimitrios Seleventas.
The reserve list is headed by German Norbert Roestel in position 1 followed by seven other German players including Ali, Amir and Bajram Ibraimov in positions 5 to 7. Well-known players waiting for a chance to start are Maxime Panaia (position 13), Tonny Carlsen (16), Francis Forton (32), Tom Löwe (35), Peter De Backer (56). Far away from a good chance are Bart Ceulemans (83), Jérôme Barbeillon (96) and Jef Philipoom (101). Ronny Brants is ranked 124, Ahmet Alp is 127, Cédric Melnytschenko 133, Manuel Santos Oliveira 148 and Kouji Funaki 161.
For the Netherlands, Volkan Cetin and Joey de Kok can still enter based on their rankings. Furthermore, 20 tickets have been reserved for the home country: Therese Klompenhouwer (Dutch champion ladies), Nick Zuijkerbuijk (Ned. champion Excellence Class), Albert Kooistra (champion premier class), Tom Slikker (champion under 25), Dave Christiani, Barry van Beers, Kay de Zwart, Jean van Erp, Frans van Schaik, Huub Wilkowski, Jerry Hermans, Glenn Hofman, Adrie Demming, Harrie van de Ven, Paul Bruijstens, Jack van Peer, Wilco van Wijk, Henk Overmars, Frits Broeders and Robert Koster.
The World Cup in Veghel will be played at De Noordkade in Veghel.