Saudi Arabia’s latest shocking sporting event, the World Masters of Snooker, had few fans.

The opening day of the World Masters of Snooker tournament in Saudi Arabia was a chaotic one due to the small number of spectators.

There were high hopes for the preparations for the Middle East tournament, which featured the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and current snooker world champion Luca Brecel. The tournament was given the golden glamor of Saudi Arabia. A Golden Ball worth 20 points that can be potted if a player scores up to 147 points. Players can also win £400,000 if the ball lands in the pot.

But as with Saudi Pro League, the country’s football arm, the intrigue and curiosity that first drove it has yet to be replicated in the stands, and the rest of the sporting world is letting them know as well.

Read more: Saudi Pro League baffled as less than 800 participants turn out for six-goal thriller

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Screenshots from the first day of the tournament showed an indoor arena that appeared to be barely 10% full. While the organizers and other officials were taking photos in front of the tables, most of the seats were still almost empty.

One snooker fan wrote, albeit with a joking exaggeration: “Literally there’s about three people in the crowd for this snooker.” A second added: “I just went to my local snooker center and there are more people watching than in Saudi.”

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Another snooker fan who was following the tournament wrote: “The Saudi snooker tournament has just completed the stage of introducing all the players who will be participating in the tournament one by one, but it will receive a very enthusiastic reception if not more players participate.” The venue is also better. ”

A cynical viewer also joined in the attack, writing: “It’s nice to see packed crowds for snooker,” he said when previously asked about the low attendance numbers in football. Saudi Arabia’s Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal stressed that the country’s sports development is still in its early stages.

“It’s building up…I’m sure we’ll have a bigger crowd next year,” he told the BBC. “Like anywhere else in the world, some matches draw much larger crowds than others, but so far all of our big matches have drawn record numbers… broadcasts to 147 countries around the world.

“When we were planning the league’s development, we never expected it to develop at this pace, but it’s refreshing to see it in action and it really shows the importance of this. “Our focus is to develop a league that attracts the best players in the world.” ”