Ahead of UK stint : Hamza appeals to PSB for winning bonus

The cueist is yet to be paid for winning 2015 Asian Championship

KARACHI: Pakistan cueist Hamza Akbar may have crossed the final hurdle to appear in the professional circuit after receiving his UK visa, but the 21-year-old is still awaiting monetary assistance from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the private sector as he gets ready to embark on a historic journey.

Hamza will become the first Pakistani to play as a professional; before him only the England-born Shaukat Ali had managed to get to this level.

The cueist is yet to receive Rs2.5 million for winning the Asian Championship this year when the youngster beat India’s Pankaj Advani in the final to qualify for the professional circuit.

The Faisalabad-based player is urging the PSB to at least pay him his winning bonus so that he can cover his expenses while living in the UK for the next two years, while he has asked the private sector to come forward and lend him a helping hand.

“I’m yet to receive my winning bonus of Rs2.5 million from the PSB and I request them to pay it on an urgent basis as I will be leaving for the UK in a week’s time,” Hamza told The Express Tribune. “The private sector hasn’t supported me the way I thought it would.”

Hamza, who is the youngest national champion in the history of Pakistan, was not allowed to participate in the recent IBSF World Championships held in Karachi as he had already been registered with the professional circuit.

“The last few weeks have been really frantic but now I would like to go straight into practice,” he added.

Meanwhile, PSB National Federations Director Azam Dar said that Hamza’s case would be taken up officially in an executive committee meeting of the Pakistan Super League on September 18 in Islamabad after which a suitable amount would be released.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th,  2015.

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