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A statement released on Tuesday began: “The WST is disappointed to hear that a number of players under contract with the WST have elected not to play in a WST event, preferring instead to play in a non-sanctioned event in Macau thereby being in breach of the terms of their player contract.<\/p>\n
“It is important to stress that WST players do not have to enter all WST events. However, with this level of freedom we do make clear in our player contracts that a player must not do anything that is detrimental to the WST or a WST event.<\/p>\n
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“Given the exhibition event in Macau directly clashes with the final stages of the Northern Ireland Open, a player\u2019s participation in it would constitute a breach of their player contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, despite engaging in email correspondence and phone calls intended to best explain our position and enable the players to make informed decisions, five players (four of whom are ranked within the top 16) have decided not to compete in the Northern Ireland Open and have withdrawn their entry in order to play in Macau.<\/p>\n
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“These players are Mark Selby, John Higgins, Luca Brecel, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter, none of whom will therefore appear in Belfast.<\/p>\n
“As a result, if these players decide to participate in the exhibition in Macau, the WST will have no alternative but to refer them to the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee for breach of their player contract, and this has been clearly communicated to the players.”<\/p>\n