27 Vietnamese players banned from competing for 1 year

On September 9, the ban was announced by the Vietnam Billiards & Snooker Federation (VBSF) to the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of provinces and cities, as well as local federations with related athletes.

The Hanoi Open 2024 will be held from August 19 to August 26 in Hanoi. The tournament is part of the Professional Billiards Association (PBA) system - a rival organization and not recognized by UMB. The 128 male and 64 female players who participated in this tournament will be banned for one year from competing in tournaments under UMB and the players' countries, from August 27, 2024 to August 27, 2025.

Vietnam has no female players, but there are 32 male players participating in the Hanoi Open 2024. Of these, five famous players were banned by UMB in advance, due to switching to play for PBA, including Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, Ngo Dinh Nai, Ma Minh Cam, Nguyen Huynh Phuong Linh and Nguyen Duc Anh Chien.

The remaining 27 players include Huynh Phi Long, Truong Van Duc, To Minh Thien, Truong Thai Duy, Huynh Thanh Hien, Do Duc Hien, Huynh Duc, Huynh Le Truong Hung, Tran Quoc Vinh, Nguyen Cong Thanh, Ngo Van Duc, Cao Ngoc Bao Kha, Nguyen Dinh Nui, Tran Dinh Phuong Vu, Ken Vinh, Nguyen Manh Phat, Tran Tien Phong, Dang Mai Phu, Truong Be Nam, Nguyen Ngoc Tri, Lam Han Thanh, Nguyen Van Phuoc Hieu, Nguyen Van Long, Huynh Tan My, Nguyen Quoc Thang, Nguyen Vu Quang Truong, Tran Van Ngan.

15 of the 27 players mentioned above have been identified on the UMB ranking board. Some players have left their names in the Vietnamese 3-cushion carom community, such as Ngoc Tri, Tran Van Ngan, Do Duc Hien, Dinh Nui. These players have won the right to participate in the Hanoi Open 2024 after competing in the qualifying round in Ho Chi Minh City, attracting 350 players.

Besides Vietnam, athletes participating in Hanoi Open 2024 are mostly from Korea, some from Japan, Spain, Belgium, and Türkiye.

Nguyen Quoc Nguyen understands the ban of UMB, because only when members comply with the regulations can the association maintain and develop. However, the 42-year-old player from Gia Lai also hopes that management agencies such as PBA or UMB find a common voice to remove the ban or reduce the level, helping athletes participate in more tournaments, thereby further developing the sport.

The UMB ban also does not affect the 2024 Carom 3-Cushion World Championship, which will be held in Binh Thuan from September 25 to September 29, as no player on the banned list will participate. However, this tournament will still bring together other top 3-Cushion players in Vietnam such as Bao Phuong Vinh, Tran Quyet Chien, and Tran Duc Minh.

PBA was founded in 2019 in Korea, and created the PBA Tour system for 3-cushion carom. Hanoi Open 2024 is the first time the PBA Tour is held abroad.

PBA does not ban players who have signed contracts from participating in UMB tournaments, but UMB does the opposite. Vietnamese players who come to Hanoi Open know that they can receive a ban from UMB, but they still participate. They will not be allowed to participate in tournaments organized by UMB, or its affiliated units such as VBSF, Asian Billiards Federation (ACBS).

The appeal of PBA comes from its set-based format and the many opportunities it offers for female and under-18 players. The prize money for a men’s championship round of the PBA Tour is around $75,000, three times higher than a round of the UMB World Cup. On billiards forums, Vietnamese fans say it’s easier to watch the PBA Tour than the UMB.

Previously, on July 30, VBSF announced that its members were banned from participating in tournaments of ACBS, the World Pool Federation (WPA) and the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (ISBF) for six months, from July 13, 2024 to January 12, 2025. The reason given was that Vietnam organized the Hanoi Open pool tournament in October 2023. The tournament was not licensed by ACBS, WPA, because it belonged to the World Nineball Tour (WNT) system of Matchroom Pool - an organization opposed to WPA.

The ban by ACBS, WPA and ISBF has led to a big debate in the Vietnamese and international billiards community. Many famous pool players such as Shane Van Boening, Jyson Shaw, Francisco Sanchez... demanded the ban be lifted and may boycott WPA tournaments. This forced WPA to speak up to reassure them, saying that there would be an online meeting to listen to the players' wishes. Matchroom and PBA were disappointed, saying that ACBS exceeded its authority and hindered the development of Vietnamese billiards.