Mark Allen Blasts German Masters Format, Hints at Boycott in Fiery Rant

Snooker star Mark Allen has once again voiced his strong dislike for the German Masters, hinting at a potential boycott of the tournament unless significant changes are made to its setup. The 2018 Masters champion took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his frustration after a second-round loss to Wu Yize, stating that he “hates the event” and finds its conditions unsuitable for competitive play.

Following his early exit, Allen posted: “Not to be in this year’s German Masters. Well done to Wu. Anyone who sees me back at this event under current conditions has permission to tell me off. Thanks in advance.”

His main criticism centers on the tournament’s format, where multiple matches are played simultaneously in the early rounds, with only one table receiving full TV coverage. Allen has long found this setup distracting and has previously spoken out against it. Back in 2018, he made his feelings clear: “So my hate/hate affair with the German Masters continues. Seriously hate the event. So distracting for all players who aren’t on table one. Will not be back until the set-up changes. Such a shame by the way about Germany as it has the potential to be amazing.”

Despite his grievances, Allen started the tournament strongly, sweeping aside David Lilley with a dominant 5-0 victory in the opening round. He later admitted that he had skipped other events to fine-tune his game ahead of the prestigious World Championship in Sheffield this May. However, unless the German Masters undergoes structural changes, Allen may well follow through on his threat to boycott future editions of the event.