Local cueists set to land full-time jobs

Asif’s world championship win triggers move.

KARACHI: The recent crowning of Mohammad Asif as world amateur snooker champion has helped bring Pakistan cueists’ woes to the fore who are now reportedly close to landing jobs to sustain them while playing the sport.

Several players, including Asif, have complained about the obstacles they face in playing snooker due to the unavailability of proper jobs. The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) said that they are working to allay the concerns of the cueists.

“We’re currently in talks with a few organisations to provide jobs to our players,” PBSF President Alamgir Sheikh told The Express Tribune. “Hopefully, five to six players will soon be employed and be able to concentrate on their game more.”

Asif became the second player from Pakistan to lift the title – after Mohammad Yousuf in 1994 – by defeating England’s Gary Wilson 10-8 earlier this month in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2012.