"I will not allow anyone to tarnish my honor"
Amidst the international billiards community being rocked by a series of cheating allegations, top Philippine billiards player Johann Chua has made an official response. In a lengthy message, Chua emphasized: "I have remained silent on all the baseless accusations circulating on social media, not because they are true, but because the tournament (World Pool Championship 2025) is still going on, many of my friends are still competing, and out of great respect for Matchroom Pool. I decided to wait until the tournament ends.
During my silence, my legal team has collected full evidence, screenshots, pages and account information of all those who have publicly spread false information and defamed my honor. I will not let anyone defame my name and reputation without clear evidence. I do not need to explain to anyone. That is not my style, and my followers understand that. I will handle this through legal means. I am ready for any investigation, if any. My lawyers will handle this matter in court, both in the US and the Philippines. I know who you are, see you in court."
Johann Chua is the world's top pool player, currently ranked 2nd in the WNT rankings.
PHOTO: WNT
Johann Chua insists that he was not being followed or investigated during the tournament as some rumors have suggested. He also claims that a Matchroom representative has confirmed that no player has made any formal accusations against him or other Filipino players. "These people are attacking me on social media to tarnish my name. It is not true that I was being followed during the tournament as many have alleged. I have confirmed this to Matchroom. One of the Matchroom promoters confirmed that none of these players have ever made any reports against me as these allegations have suggested," the Filipino player said.
Where did it come from?
The incident began after public comments expressed doubts about the integrity of matches involving Filipino players, most recently at the 2025 World Pool Championship. Those comments said that the cue ball showed signs of abnormal reactions. Accordingly, some slow-motion videos circulating on social media showed the referee wiping the cue ball multiple times with his glove, an action that was considered a violation of technical standards and could affect the friction of the ball. From there, debate began to break out on social media, with many conflicting opinions.
Although there has been no official conclusion from the tournament organizers, the wave of controversy has quickly spread and affected the image of the group of Filipino players, who are famous in the world of billiards pool.
Hoang Sao: "Don't drag me into trouble"
Specifically, right after the 10-11 loss to Jeffrey Roda (Philippines) in the round of 16 of the 2025 World Pool Championship, Hoang Sao was named in a series of controversies surrounding the suspicion that some Filipino players cheated technically. Vietnam's top pool player also spoke out.
Not wanting to let the gossip go too far, Duong Quoc Hoang took the stage with a decisive statement, defending the transparency of the match and affirming that he was not involved in any suspicions. He emphasized: "I would like to make it clear once and for all. The match between Roda and I took place fairly, transparently and openly, as it should be. We both played our best. I lost not because of anything shady, but because of my own shortcomings: being too perfectionist, too tense and I had to pay the price. That was my fault. As for Roda, he played like a true warrior. Calm, precise and courageous at the right time, his performance was truly excellent. He deserved that victory."
And finally, Hoang did not forget to send a clear message to those who are intentionally dragging him into scandals: "This is a warning for those who are trying to exaggerate things, that is, do not drag me into any scandals. I have nothing to do with any other people's stories. So, do not distort the truth."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bi-to-gian-lan-sao-billiards-philippines-kien-nguoi-boi-nho-danh-du-hen-cac-nguoi-o-toa-185250731112918447.htm
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