LAUSANNE - The Disciplinary Commission of the CEB (European Billiard Association) has announced its conclusion after an extensive investigation concerning the suspensions of 18 players who have joined the Korean PBA organization and have now participated in three tournaments. The committee's conclusion is that the suspensions are justified: for the time being, the 18 European players have been suspended for one year (1 July 2019-1 July 2020) for all official championships and tournaments of the UMB (world federation) and the CEB. The national federations are responsible for their leagues competitions. Only Dutch and Belgian federation allow suspended players to participate in the team competitions, all the other European countries follow the suspensions of the PBA players.
In its final report, the Disciplinary Commission states that by participating in multiple PBA tournaments (so far three, this weekend the fourth tournament ends), 18 players have not complied with the goal and the statutes of the CEB and have shown a lack of ethical sportiness. They deliberately turned their back to the aim of the CEB and the sports associations recognized by the IOC. The Disciplinary Commission therefore recommends a suspension/refusal to participate in CEB (European) championships and official tournaments against the players involved until 1 July 2020. Players are also not allowed to participate in individual Grand Prix tournaments.
The committee consisted of:
Mr. Alain Amstutz (Switzerland, president)
Mr. Ricardo Salgado (Portugal)
Mr. Brice Brière (Luxembourg)
Mr. Stefano Malacrita (Italy)
Mr. Peter Stöger (Austria).
The CEB is a member of the UMB, the world federation and is therefore connected to the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS). The WCBS is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The players who are officially suspended and not allowed to participate in the CEB championships and official tournaments are named by the UMB: 16 male, 2 female players who participated in the PBA tournaments.
They are: Juan David Zapata, Carlos Anguita, Javier Palazón, David Martinez, Amai Najjari (all Spain), Jean Paul de Bruijn, Glenn Hofman, Andrea Hofman (all the Netherlands), Frédéric Caudron, Eddy Leppens (Belgium), Adnan Yüksel, Birol Uymaz, Savas Bulut, (Turkey), Filippos Kasidokostas, Kostas Papakonstantinou (Greece), Alan Schröder, Tonny Carlsen (Denmark), Pierre Soumagne (France).
The suspensions for participation in CEB championships and official tournaments remain in force and enforceable until July 1, 2020 and are renewable.
The disciplinary committee was formed by the board of CEB on 2 August 2019. The Commission had to be composed of judges and a president who did not belong to a national federation whose members were affected by the proceedings. This objective criterion was followed by the CEB Council and no judge from France, Belgium, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Denmark or Turkey was appointed.
The disciplinary committee states in its motivation for the suspensions among other things:
According to the official website of the PBA, 'this organization starts developing global professional billiards with the best players in the world, the best infrastructure and the only and only specialized TV channel in the world, Billiards TV.' The committee emphasizes that PBA is not recognized by the UMB. And according to the statements of the players, the PBA never had the goal of being an UMB-recognized event.
A PBA letter sent on 7 August confirms that the organization has no other intention than to promote professional billiards and its commercial interests. For the Disciplinary Committee, the fact that PBA intends to organize around 20 to 30 tournaments per year proves that PBA does not want to conform to the UMB/CEB rules.
The CEB states, among other things, that 'actions against statutes, rules and regulations' include:
x The non-compliance with the statutes and official rules
x Different and unsporting behavior at tournaments
x Bad behavior in the public, by telephone (messages) or personally, which is harmful to the reputation of the CEB.
The DC (Disciplinary Commission) concludes: By participation to the PBA tournaments, the players did not compty with the relevant rules. The players deliberately turned their back to the aim of the CEB and the sports associations recognized by the IOC.
Article 423 states that sanctions/suspensions /decisions intended are:
1 The warning under pentalty of punishment in case of recurrence
2 The reproach with clear laying down of punishment in case of recurrence
3 The deprivation of points and/or titles, places and medals
4 The repayment or partly repayment of price moneys and other received benefits
5 The fine with a maximum of 5,000 euros
6 The temporal suspension up to a maximum of 10 years.