Visa delay proves costly for Akbar

Photo: Darren Robinson

MAJOR BLOW . . . Hamza Akbar

HAMZA Akbar has been denied the chance to appear in the Indian Open.

The Oldham Snooker Academy-based star didn't receive clearance to enter the country, despite applying for a visa a month before the tournament was due to start.

And because he was unable to fulfil his commitments in Hyderabad, World Snooker have held on to his purse for reaching the first round proper.

The 22-year-old Pakistani was set to pocket £2,000 for coming through qualifying in Preston.

COMPETED

However, Akbar hasn't seen a penny.

Oldham Academy owner Mohammed Nisar said: "It isn't as though Hamza hasn't competed in India before. He has represented Pakistan on three occasions in the country.

"He is really disappointed. It's not his fault and it's not as though the application was late going in. Some days it only takes days to sort out a visa.

"He has appealed to World Snooker over the money. They've been provided with evidence which states the process gone through to try to obtain a visa.

"He would be really grateful to get that money back."

Akbar's snooker career is currently on hold.

Until he gets his passport back from the Indian Embassy in Birmingham ­- it was sent there as part of the visa application process ­- he won't be able to compete abroad.

That means Akbar could miss out on competing in the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany next month.

Nisar added: "It's a shame, because Hamza is starting to play really well with some positive results behind him."

A World Snooker spokesperson said while they prefer not to comment on individual cases, the rules with regards to attendance at World Snooker events are clear and unambiguous within the terms and conditions of entry.

It states that 'should a player compete in the qualifying rounds for an event and qualify to participate in the final stages of that event but then fail to appear in the final stages of that event, for any reason whatsoever, the player will not be eligible to receive any prize money whatsoever, or prize money ranking points relating to the event'.

RULE

A statement from World Snooker, the sport's governing body, added: "This rule was introduced following unacceptable numbers of player withdrawals from events in prior seasons which made the commercial viability of some events vulnerable, an issue World Snooker needed to address to protect the global interests of the sport.

"While it may be the case that players have directly lost out as a result of this rule, it does remain in the best interest of the sport and is an essential measure required to protect the commercial viability of the tour."