Mark Allen hits out at snooker 'favouritism' and TV snub

Mark Allen has lashed out at snooker authorities and broadcasters, claiming that certain players are favoured over others.

The Antrim cue star voiced his concerns following his 10-6 victory over Robbie Williams in the first round of the World Snooker Championship, claiming he felt ignored at times.

Allen bemoaned a lack of television coverage for some of snooker's highest-ranked players, claiming and he and others haven't received fair treatment.

Read more: 'Back to the unknown' - McComb breaks silence following controversial loss

Speaking to SportsBoom.com, he said: "I've been down this road before, things are slightly better, but it could be better still. If the face doesn't fit, then maybe something else needs to change."

When asked if winning this year's World Championship might change how he is perceived, Allen replied: "Well, you would think that."

Speaking after his win over Williams, which sees Allen progress to a second round clash against either John Higgins or Jamie Jones, added: "I'm not going to name names, but I had a chat with someone in and around the WST and that media circle and they said that Luca [Brecel] wasn't a big enough name to give coverage to and he's the world champion... So, if that's the person we're dealing with, we're all in trouble.."

The Northern Ireland man was also left angry after none of his two sessions against Williams weren't picked for BBC television coverage.

He added: "I'd rather play on TV. That's what we play for. That's why we try and win and get up the rankings for, but it doesn't seem to account for much."

Reflecting on his opening 10-6 win against Williams , Allen said: “I always felt I had another few gears to up [in the first session] and felt I was always in control.

“It was very scrappy today. I didn’t quite feel in control but I was happy with how I finished. There’s a lot of room for improvement after that. At 9-4 I felt I’d done the work but I just felt a bit flat. Then whenever he made a couple of breaks to make it 9-6 I switched back on and was really up for that last frame so it was a good break in the end.”

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