VEGHEL - He sits down on the World Cup terrace, in the fresh air of the enclave where the last event is held, groomed as ever, phone in standby position, packet of cigarettes never too far away. Farouk Barki, the 74-year-old, Egyptian president of the World billiards federation, has just been elected for another four years. He expects it to be his last term, but the African former businessman looks combative and optimistic as ever. Mister Barki travels the world for championships, World Cups, congresses and negotiations, is widely estimated to be away from home some 150 days a year, but occasionally seeks the conviviality of the home front. ''I cannot yet spend all my days at home, but from Cairo, with my wife, my two daughters and my lovely granddaughter Malika, we look up for our other house near to the Red Sea for a while, 100 kilometers from our home, to be free from all the hustle and bustle.''
But these days, Mister Farouk Barki, who also leads the WCBS umbrella organization with the other billiard disciplines these years, is tirelessly touring again. The World Cup in Veghel just behind him, home for a while, in four days to South Korea for the World Championship, followed soon after that by a trip to Lausanne for an IOC meeting, home on 30th of November and from 2 December onwards to the World Cup in his home land in Sharm El Sheikh. Those are just a few weeks in the life of the president, who has been in office since 2016, then as the successor to ousted president Jean Claude Dupont.
''I feel very healthy, only with some pains in my back,'' he says, as smoke billows around his head, a steaming coffee in hand and busy gesturing, as he's used to do to invigorate his words. ''I thought about very briefly, whether to extend it for another four years. But I am well, I feel fit, I can and I still want to travel all around, I have a hard-working board, with whom we are still working out plenty of new plans. And with Ersan Ercan and Bert Thuer we have new blood in the team, we have the routine of Santos Chocron in the house as the office manager. And things are looking very good for the near future.''
The calendar of World Cups, also for next year (maximum seven per year) is guaranteed, the organizations are in good hands. The World championshipw have already been given away to Turkey (2023) and Vietnam (2024) and candidates come forward for the later years. ''I would like to see a bit more spread, for example in European countries, but we should not be very worried. I expect that by the end of this year we will be able to launch some very good news that the players will make more happy.'' That sounds good, mister Farouk: more money, higher premiums, more big events? ''I can't say anything yet, but the future for players and organizers looks bright.''
He rarely looks back, even as he does now with the latest PBA winner David Martinez from Spain, on the turbulent period with the PBA, the Korean organization launched two years ago with many Asians and some 15, 20 European players. The contact with the Koreans has been broken for some time, each going his own way. ''We have the best players in the world, that speaks from all records,'' Barki starts a short story. ''Just look at the averages last week, Sánchez (2.084), Jaspers (1.914), Haeng Jik Kim (1.903) and Torbjörn (1.860). We should be proud of all our great champions.''
The president feels happy that the all-time great of this era, Torbjörn Blomdahl, is back as the shining winner. ''I am happy for Torbjörn and all his fans. He has shown that he still belongs to the absolute world top and is in good health again. We watched him in a fantastic World Cup in Veghel, we've seen the further development with TV coverage, the commercial progress and the high level of many top players and young talents. I'm already looking ahead to more new-style events to come up. Next week's World Championships in South Korea, 4 hours from Seoul, will also be a wonderful event. We've been spoiled for years with only good organizers, from Las Vegas to Seoul, from Veghel to Ho Chi Minh City, and I still see strong European winners.''
That determination is remarkable in the development of global billiards. The Koreans and Vietnamese have conquered the world with their many talents, all the winners still come from the traditional countries. Twice Dick Jaspers, twice Dani Sánchez, once Eddy Merckx in the five World Cups so far in 2022.
He points the Turkish federation as a huge example. ''The president, Mister Ersan Ercan with his team, has realized a fantastic project in Ankara: a professional headquarters, where big events can be organized, all facilities are done for training camps, with restaurants, hotels, billiard halls. The best I have seen in the world. I invite everyone to come and watch it there.''
The phone is ringing again, time to conclude the interview. The president has said goodbye to wonderful Holland again, as he says in his farewell speech. He has honored the new champion and is preparing for the short stopover in Egypt with Ahmed Emam, his loyal right-hand man. A four-hour flight to Cairo, soon to be another six hours to Seoul with his other sports director, Turkish Ugur Oktorvaci.
Mister President on world tour, four more promising years to go.
Thanks for the interview, Mister Farouk Barki.
The last World Cup podium, left to right Harry Mathijssen (organiser), Dani Sánchez, Dick Jaspers, Torbjörn Blomdahl, Farouk Barki, Choong Bok Lee and Paul Brekelmans (Dutch chairman)
Farouk Barki, re-elected for another four years as UMB president
Farewell to Veghel World Cup: thanks to the Dutch organiser
The president, always on tour