FUMING Shaun Murphy accused organisers of the Champion of Champions of “unprofessionalism” and acting “disrespectfully” towards him in a sensational rant over the tournament schedule.
The jetlagged 2005 world champion lost 4-1 to Scottish Open champion Lei Peifan in a match that started at 1pm on the opening day of the seven-day event in Leicester.
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Shaun Murphy was in action in China last ThursdayCredit: Getty
Murphy embarked on a 36-hour journey home after losing in NanjingCredit: Getty
Murphy, 43, lost to John Higgins last Thursday in the quarter-finals of the International Championship in the Chinese city of Nanjing.
Yet Murphy – who recently got engaged for the third time – claims he was informed on his flight back to London that he would be expected to play his Group 2 match on Monday afternoon in the East Midlands.
Mark Wiliams, Mark Allen and Alfie Burden were not involved in last week’s Chinese ranking tournament 5,600 miles away but they are scheduled to play their first-round ties over the coming days.
The 16-man Champion of Champions, broadcast on ITV4, is a quirky event on the calendar as it is run by Matchroom Sport and not the World Snooker Tour.
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In an explosive rant on live TV, Murphy said it was “nothing short of despicable” and an “embarrassment” that he was expected to play against the Chinese cueist on day one.
Murphy, the reigning Masters champion, said: “I conduct myself as professionally as I possibly can.
“I try and treat the game with an incredible amount of respect. I think the way I’ve been treated by Matchroom in this tournament is nothing short of despicable.
“To find out, in a tournament where they hand-picked the draw and they hand-picked the groups, to find out that I was playing today, halfway through a 36-hour marathon journey home from China, just 48 hours ago.
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“There were three other players in this tournament who weren’t even in China last week. For me to be thrown out first today is nothing short of despicable.
“I think they’ve covered themselves in a huge embarrassment by treating me with such disrespect.
“I only found out today at breakfast that I was playing first at one o’clock.
“So poor has been the communication. I’m shocked. I’ve been used to Matchroom being a well-run organisation since I started working with them as a young boy 30 years ago.
“The way they’ve treated me in this event, with the formatting, is extremely unprofessional. I’m very disappointed in them.
“My beef is certainly not with anyone else. My beef is that Mark Williams, Mark Allen and Alfie Burden weren’t even in China. Matchroom totally hand-picked this event.
“They had no need to pick the draws and make the formats the way they did.
“They could have put those three in a group with somebody else who wasn’t in China as long as the rest of us, and they could have played today. They should have been playing today.
“It’s made a total mockery of the event and an embarrassment of me. My reputation is something I take extremely seriously.
“Having been in the country not 24 hours before I find myself in a hotel here last night in Leicester.
“Not knowing what day it is or where I am or what clothes I’m wearing or anything. And to be expected to come out and perform like a professional snooker player is a step too far.
“I’m extremely disappointed in them.”
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In response, Matchroom said they had not ‘hand-picked’ the draw as it was all done on seeding.
Special consideration had to be made for Scotsmen Stephen Maguire and John Higgins, who lost to Wu Yize in the final of the International Championship, and have equally long journeys back to the UK.
A Matchroom spokesperson said: “We spoke with Shaun after his match, and completely understand his frustrations.
“Our priorities are the players and we take pride in the fact they consider this event prestigious and want to prepare for it.
“For transparency and fairness the groups are based on seeding.
“Scheduling is always a challenge every year, but we take on board the points and will always strive to improve for next year and the future.”
After Murphy lost to Higgins on Thursday evening, he and fiancee Jo changed their travel plans and instead of a bullet train, they grabbed an internal flight from Nanjing to Beijing.
Then they took a two to three-hour taxi journey through rush-hour traffic to Beijing Capital International Airport in China’s capital city.
Though they checked into a hotel on Friday night, it was a brief stay as they were out of the country by 6.50am the next morning, flying from Beijing to Dubai on an Emirates plane.
Their flight from the UAE to Manchester was delayed due to a medical drama and the couple did not get back to their home until close to midnight.
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It was only on the flight back, while using the plane wifi, that Murphy was informed he would be expected to play on Monday.
The pair managed to celebrate with champagne with Jo’s parents but on Sunday evening, Murphy had to stay in a hotel in Leicester.
