Saudis are ‘making it up as they go’ after a major rule change for the tournament

Sports

FANS CLAIMED the Saudis were “making it up as they went along” after another major change on the eve of the controversial tournaments.

It was originally going to be eight of the world’s top snooker stars, plus two Middle Eastern wildcards heading to the Middle East for the Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker from March 4 to 6.

Ronnie O’Sullivan will be one of the star names in Saudi ArabiaCredit: PA

The tournament has come in for a lot of criticism after the introduction of a golden ball, which will be worth 20 points and can make a break of 167.

Anyone who achieves a ‘miracle’ 167 breakthrough will receive a mega cash bonus of £400,000, but this unique achievement is NOT eligible to be noted as a world record.

The lead up to the event was chaotic, with full details of the new gimmick only being released on Saturday afternoon.

Each frame starts with the Golden Ball on the barrier pad at the brown spot. If a player accidentally pots or hits the Golden Ball early in the frame before hitting the object ball, a four-point foul will result.

The new ball remains on the table as long as it is possible for a player to make a 147. If a maximum is no longer possible, the Golden Ball is removed by the referee until the next frame.

However, despite the big money on offer, it is not officially recognized, as an extra 23rd ball with such a point value is not in the rulebook.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, Luca Brecel and Mark Allen are among those battling it out with an £800,000 prize pool up for grabs.

But now two more names have been added to the line-up at the last minute and after the Gold Ball controversy, this has irritated fans even more.

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Chinese star Ding Junhui, 36, and Scottish icon John Higgins, 48, were today announced as part of the ‘expanded’ tournament.

And it sparked a backlash from snooker supporters against the Saudi organisers.

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“Just making it up as you go,” someone on X responded to the news.

Another joked: “Fantastic planning for this event. Hats off to the organisers.”

Another angry punter posted: “I’m making it all up on the hoof.”

While a fourth added: “It just gets more embarrassing and ridiculous.”

And another claimed: “This is embarrassing for the sport.”