Mark Allen reveals loss of sponsorship over early concession

Mark Allen has revealed he has been fined for his early concession against Ali Carter in the World Grand Prix and lost a sponsorship deal over the incident.

Allen conceded the match in last month’s Coral World Grand Prix midway through the fifth frame at 3-1 down and just 22 points behind after missing a yellow.

The Northern Irishman blasted the table conditions in his post-match press conference and admitted if he had played he ‘would have smashed his cue up’.

Allen, who defeated Stephen Maguire 6-2 in his opener at the Coral Players Championship in Preston on Monday, revealed he had accepted a fine, which is yet to be disclosed, and says he lost out on a sponsorship deal as a result.

When asked by ITV Sport if he had learned any lessons from the incident, Allen replied: “Who knows?”

“They’ve fined me, which is spot on, because you can’t be doing what I did.

“The game sometimes can get the better of you and I’ll not be the last person to ever do that.

“It was disappointing from my point of view because I ended up losing a sponsorship deal off the back of it which I felt was a little harsh, but I”ll just have to move on and not do it again.”

Allen, who is seeded number one in this week’s Players Championship, will face either Stuart Bingham or David Gilbert in the Quarter-Finals, and added: “I’m going through a bad time at the minute with how I’m playing and I’m trying to stay as positive as I possibly can.

“I’m working on a few things with Terry [Griffiths] and even Chris Henry beforehand gave me a word because sometimes you win and lose in your seat.

“We can all play the game and we can all pot balls and make breaks but it’s what you’re thinking about whenever you’re not at the table.”