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Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Shaun Murphy flies off the handle as Zhao Xintong feelings made crystal clear
Two snooker players are not happy with two keys issues surrounding new world champion Zhao Xintong, with one being raised as far back as the start of the season Shaun Murphy has blasted snooker bosses over two key decisions surrounding new world champion Zhao Xintong. The 28-year-old has made history by becoming the first Chinese world champion after beating Mark Williams 18-12 at the Crucible. However, his success has been accompanied by controversy for several reasons. The 2021 UK champion only returned to competitive snooker as an amateur last year after serving a 20-month ban for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal involving nine other Chinese players. Contentiously, Zhao is being allowed to convert his £500,000 prize money into ranking points, propelling him straight into the top 16 at number 11. It is established that amateurs can retain their winnings and earn professional status through top-up performances. However, the wording in the players' contracts appears to state that those earnings cannot then translate into ranking points. The perceived discrepancy has frustrated many fellow top pros, including Masters champion Murphy, who, despite holding no ill will towards Zhao, isn't happy with the situation. "What is a new thing is WST's decision – a staggering decision, a jaw-dropping decision – to totally ignore the wording of their own contract," he said on his OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast. "It is black and white, it's what we've all agreed to, and it isn't as things stand how World Snooker Tour are proceeding. And just to make this absolutely clear, this is nothing to do with Xintong. Nobody has got a problem with Zhao Xintong. "This is about World Snooker Tour riding roughshod over our players' contract, which we renegotiated in good faith and signed in good faith. And they've just decided to ignore it and rewrite it as they see fit." The other bone of contention among fellow players is Zhao's participation at the Crucible and the 2024/25 season in general. Although his WPBSA suspension expired last September, he remains banned by the Chinese federation until July. That would usually see him barred from WPBSA-sanctioned events but Zhao was allowed to play on the amateur Q Tour circuit, with his stunning results allowing him to enter the UK Championship and the World Championship. Murphy, who says the issue was raised with the snooker authorities as long as 10 months ago, said: "It seemed fairly black and white to most of us that he wasn't in good standing with his national governing body. There are lots of other players that this has and does and will apply to. You have to be in good standing. "The question we all asked was, how can a player who is still banned be deemed to be in good standing? I'm yet to hear a satisfactory answer from anyone at WPBSA Towers or the tour, so I don't know the answer. "We were told that, despite him being still banned by his NGB in China, that WPBSA considered him to be in good standing. We said, 'Hang on a minute, he's still banned but you're not recognising that?' "The argument I've seen a lot is that he's been away from the game, [but] he didn't take a gap year, he didn't go on a sabbatical to go and feed refugees somewhere. There was an enforced suspension, because he'd done something wrong." The WST have been approached for comment.
Wales Online
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Shaun Murphy clears up awkward Dennis Taylor moment as he admits 'I didn't understand'
Shaun Murphy clears up awkward Dennis Taylor moment as he admits 'I didn't understand' Shaun Murphy has opened up on his awkward exchange with BBC commentator Dennis Taylor during the World Snooker Championship final at the weekend Shaun Murphy has opened up on the tense moment with Dennis Taylor (Image: George Wood, Getty Images ) Shaun Murphy has confessed to being baffled by BBC commentator Dennis Taylor's remarks about Zhao Xintong during the World Championship. A particularly uncomfortable exchange between the snooker star and the broadcaster became something of a viral sensation following the weekend's final. Murphy, who was on co-commentary, quickly shot down Taylor after he suggested that he had friends who had never seen Zhao play and were shocked by his talent. 'They must be fairly new to the game then, Dennis, because we're watching a former UK champion here,' Murphy responded. Taylor hit back: "They don't live in the UK, Shaun, that's what I was saying." The clip of the conversation, in which the exchange was followed by a long silence from both men, was widely circulated on social media. Murphy has since disclosed that he discussed the comments with Taylor off-air, but remains perplexed by their meaning. The 42-year-old highlighted that the UK Championship, along with other tournaments won by Zhao, are viewed globally, reports the Express. "I still don't understand what the thing was. I don't know. Sometimes you wonder whether some of these things are lost in translation a little bit, between generations. I don't know if it was just a little throwaway funny line that Dennis thought he was saying," Murphy said on the OneFourSeven Snooker Podcast. Article continues below Shaun Murphy remains confused by Dennis Taylor's (pictured) comments about Zhao Xintong (Image: Getty ) "I don't know if it just got missed, but I didn't really understand what he meant. I did say that to him off-mic between frames because he [brought it up]. "I said, 'Sorry, I didn't really understand what you were trying to say. Xintong won the German Masters and the UK Championship [three] and [four] years ago'. The UK Championship, this isn't 1984, it gets watched in almost every single country around the world. "Last year, we had over a billion eyeballs on snooker throughout the season. A sixth or a seventh of the planet watched snooker at some stage last season. These might just be things that Dennis isn't aware of, and other people of his vintage, they're not aware of... I don't know. But I just didn't really understand, I didn't get it." Shaun Murphy endured an awkward moment with Taylor live on air (Image: Getty ) He continued: "I remember before I got involved in broadcasting, you'd hear certain people on certain channels making mistakes and saying things that were just incorrect. The one that gets me is when a commentator says, 'Oh, I haven't seen much of this player, I don't really know anything about this player'. And they wear it like a badge of honour. Article continues below "They say it as if it's a good thing. It's not a good thing because it makes it look like you're turning up, taking your wages and then leaving. You're not putting any effort in. I've pulled up a couple of my co-commentators in the past because it's not a good look. Even if you haven't seen this player, don't say it. Don't tell the world that you can't be bothered to do your job. "That wasn't the thing with Dennis. I still don't understand how that blew up as big as it did. There was a little ruffle of a laugh that went round The Crucible, which is why I went quiet. "Dennis is a friend of mine, it's no axe to grind with Dennis. Dennis and I, we haven't fallen out. There was no exchange of words. I think it was meant to be funny, but wasn't funny. It's not the first time Dennis has told a joke that wasn't funny."
