Mark Allen has hit out at snooker chiefs for what he perceives as favouritism towards certain players and lack of recognition for others.
Allen, 38, is among the favourites to win the World Snooker Championship for the first time after coming into the tournament as world no.3 and claiming the Players Championship back in February. And the Northern Irishman kickstarted his bid with a 10-6 victory over Robbie Williams on Wednesday.
However, after the match, Allen cut a frustrated figure and did not hold back as he hit out at the WST regarding the coverage of certain players. Allen revealed he had held conversations with individuals within the tour and media circles and the responses he received angered him.
When asked whether winning the World Snooker Championship would alter the perception around him and others, Allen told Sportsboom : "Well, you would think that.
"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.
"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."
Allen's frustration was compounded by the fact his win over Williams was not televised live on the BBC during either session.
"I'd rather play on TV," he added. "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."
Allen eased through to the second round against John Higgins or Jamie Jones after beating Williams, though 'The Pistol' admitted he struggled during parts of the match "I always felt I had another few gears to up [in the first seassion] and felt I was always in control," said Allen.
"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."
Eight seeds have already been knocked out of the world championship, with Brecel, Mark Selby and Ali Carter among those defeated in the first round. Despite this, Allen does not feel any added pressure to win his first world title. "There's not many upsets these days as the standard is so high," he added.
"None of that would put pressure on me - the only pressure that's on me is from myself and that's always been the case. I don't care what other people think. I want to be world champion and I want to be world number one. But I can't think of that when I'm out there.
"I just have to think about the shot ahead and that's what I've been doing pretty well lately. I just need to continue to do that and the rest will take care of itself."
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