John Higgins has now delivered his verdict on players potentially leaving the World Snooker Tour in the coming months.
The World Snooker Championship has just finished, with Kyren Wilson coming out victorious at this year’s event.
Talk in the media, however, was dominated by a possible breakaway tour akin to LIV golf.
Barry Hearn has signed a deal to play some tournaments in Saudi Arabia and there is now talk of some players leaving the main tour.
After losing to eventual winner Wilson in the quarter-finals, Higgins has now delivered his verdict on that possible notion.
John Higgins shares verdict on players possibly leaving World Snooker Tour
Well, the four-time World Snooker Champion clearly feels quite passionate about this concept.
Higgins didn’t have a great season last time around and his win over Mark Allen at the Crucible in the last 16 was probably the best victory of his campaign.
During the mid-session interval of the final, BBC Sport showed a montage of some of the game’s top players talking about the idea of leaving the tour.
Higgins clearly wouldn’t be keen and he’s delivered a scathing attack on any player who might consider it.
He said: “Anyone who leaves the World Snooker Tour would be off their head. We’re guaranteed tournaments, we’re guaranteed invitational events, so it wouldn’t make any sense. They’d be off their head if they left.”
Higgins speaking sense but a crossroads is emerging
In our view, Higgins is spot on and the last thing snooker needs is a situation like that in golf where top players have gone off to the LIV tour instead.
Snooker needs to head to new countries and grow the game in new territories but that should be done as part of the World Snooker Tour.
Higgins is right. The players don’t exactly play for peanuts in the way of prize money right now and they’re playing in tournaments that have existed for a number of years.
Snooker needs more players to speak out against the idea of leaving the main tour and if it does happen it could be seriously detrimental to the game.
For Higgins, he won’t look back on the last campaign with too much fondness and he will hope to bounce back next season.