Mark Allen makes opinion clear on snooker controversy after Shaun Murphy dig
Mark Allen has stepped in to defend world snooker champion Kyren Wilson following his controversial ‘old man’ remarks about Shaun Murphy.
The drama unfolded after Murphy, 42, clinched the Paul Hunter Trophy at Alexandra Palace in January by defeating Wilson with a score of 10-7, taking home the £350,000 Masters prize.
In his post-match interview, Wilson referred to Murphy as an ‘old man’ who ‘needed the win more’. While Murphy shrugged off the comments, other players like Judd Trump have publicly condemned Wilson’s words.
Now, Northern Ireland’s Allen has weighed in, offering a less harsh perspective on Wilson’s comments and shedding light on the tricky situation The Warrior found himself in.
After his defeat, Wilson seemed irked, and his words backed this up: “No disrespect to Shaun. He is turning into an old man now, so he needs this more than me.”
Murphy responded light-heartedly, saying: “There is still a bit of life in the old dog yet.” However, another rival in Trump shared his far less complimentary views on Wilson, essentially branding him a poor sport.
The 2019 world champ stated: “I think the first thing everybody said at the Championship League was, ‘did you watch that? ‘ I don’t think he particularly put himself in good light. I don’t know if it was a private joke, but it doesn’t seem that many people took it that well from what I’ve read.
“It’s happened a couple of times, he’s not the best loser, but it’s not the worst thing to be hurting like that. Everyone will get over it, and it’ll be fine. I’ve done it in the past. He probably means what he says. You just can’t really say it. There’s a fine line between being honest and trying to keep everyone happy.”
Despite some interpreting Wilson’s remarks as disrespectful, Allen sees things quite differently, believing the context might have overwhelmed The Warrior, reports the Express.
“I’ve had enough moments over the years where I’ve probably come across a really bad loser,” Allen told Eurosport. “Sometimes it’s the heat of the moment. We’re not bad people. You stick a camera in front of you just when you’ve had a really hard defeat. Sometimes it’s hard to say the right things.”
Allen further elaborated on the expectations placed on athletes, saying: “You get criticised for it, but we’re not perfect. We’re just human at the end of the day, and there’s nothing wrong with just being respectful to your opponent and saying they did better than you on any given day. But sometimes it’s hard to see it that way.”
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