World Ten-Ball organizer vows to pay players
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/28/2008 4:16 PM
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| Darren Appleton. (Screen shot from ESPN) |
The organizer of last month's World Ten Ball Championship tournament in Manila dismissed of Tuesday talk about the delay in payment of the players in the inaugural event.
"What can I say? It's all in the [Website announcement]," Jose Pablo Fenix, executive director of Raya Sports, told abs-cbnNEWS.com.
As far as Fenix is concerned, they have contacted World Ten-Ball champion Darren Appleton.
"We've talked to him," he said.
Fenix's reaction was in relation to questions reportedly raised by Appleton and then quoted by Manila-based sports analyst Ronnie Nathanielsz.
"Appleton, who had waited 16 long years to win a world pool title and finally achieved that dream by winning the inaugural World 10-Ball Championship at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, said he hadn’t been paid as yet along with all the other players," Nathanielsz wrote in his "Inside Sports" column on Tuesday.
"Basically, everybody is talking and asking about World 10-Ball payment, as to date nobody has been paid yet. The organizers have not said anything, which is a little annoying," Nathanieslz quoted the billiards champ as saying.
According to Appleton, the delay in payment affected his performance in the just-concluded US Open 9-Ball Championships in Chesapeake, Virginia.
“It just took my focus away from playing in the tournament 100 percent and at this level you get punished," the champ said of the $100,000 top prize.
Nathanielsz said the he has no reason to doubt Raya Sports' commitment about the payment.
However, he said that he is concerned about Appelton's sentiment.
"We need to understand that pool players generally travel at their own expense, pay for their hotel accommodation and meals and also are required, more often than not, to pay an entry fee. It simply means that Appleton hasn't even recovered his expenses as yet," Nathanielsz said.
Fenix, in a statement on the Raya Sports and AZBilliards Websites, said that payments for the WTBC will be done on October 30 and 31.
"All prizes will be sent by bank transfers to the players, who were asked to supply their bank information while in Manila for the tournament," he said.
Fenix added that players who failed to supply their bank information will be notified by e-mail. He added that he can be contacted through jpfenix@prismphil.com. Roy Medina, abs-cbnNEWS.com
