I’ve lost focus due to non-payment: Mohammad Asif

Government yet to reward Rs15m to former world champion.

KARACHI:

Former snooker world champion Mohammad Asif admitted that he has started to lose his focus on the game due to the non-payment of his Rs15 million prize money from the government as per the national sports policy for becoming a global champion.

More than 16 months have passed since Asif won the world championship back in December 2012, where he became only the second cueist from Pakistan to achieve the feat after Mohammad Yousuf, who won the IBSF world championship back in 1994.

Despite putting Pakistan’s name back on snooker map, Asif and the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association’s (PBSA) plea is being ignored by the government.

In the meantime, Asif went onto lose his world crown, while he, along with Mohammad Sajjad, helped Pakistan win the maiden IBSF World Team Championship.

Despite all these developments, one thing that has not changed for Asif is that he has not received his rightful payment and according to him the situation was disheartening.

“So much has changed in these 16 months but I’m still standing at the same point waiting for my prize money,” Asif told The Express Tribune.

“As a player or even as a human being you just can’t remove the thought of not getting such a heavy cash reward despite becoming a world champion.

“This non-serious attitude of the government has started to take its toll on my mind and my game which has resulted in a loss of focus in my performance.”

‘It’s snooker golden period currently’

Pakistan is probably enjoying its golden period in snooker right now with the likes of Asif and Sajjad, who are accompanied by upcoming players such as Mohammad Majid, Asjad Iqbal, Hamza Akbar and other talented individuals.

But Asif stressed that all could change very soon if the government failed to realise how the game of snooker could bloom at this point of time.

“Every player or a game has cycles during its continuous evolution,” he said. “Previously, we used to rule the world in squash, then came the golden period in hockey followed by cricket. But right now, it’s snooker which is going through a golden period and the government must realise this quickly.

“Snooker can bring laurels for Pakistan because we’ve got good quality players right now. If the government does not give due attention to the sport right now, then certainly the future will be really dark for the game and players will start giving it up as a profession.”

The 31-year-old Faisalabad-based player pleaded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to personally look at the injustice of not being given his due reward.

“The PM himself is a lover of sports and I can only request him to personally look into my case so that the efforts I and other cueists make will not go in vain,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2014.

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