World champion Mark Williams labelled World Snooker’s treatment of him as “pathetic” after opening his title defence with a win at the Crucible.

Williams overcame Martin Gould 10-7 but it was issues off the table that dominated attention, with the Welshman saying his son was denied entry into his dressing room as he had already used his two backstage passes.

That prompted the 44-year-old to criticise the governing body, who he believes have not given him the due recognition before or during the tournament to date.

“They’ve obviously got some kind of grief towards me, whatever it is you’ll have to ask them – there’s plenty of them around,” he said of World Snooker.

“I just couldn’t believe it – my boy was trying to get in and they wouldn’t let him because I’d already used my two passes.

“They wouldn’t even let a 12-year-old boy in to say good luck to his dad – is that strict or pathetic?”

Williams was also left off the cover of the official World Snooker video game, while an official tournament poster has him in the corner of shot.

He added: “And then there’s the poster – spot the world champion, I’m shafted over in the corner and you can barely see me.

“It’s nothing really, but you expect to be a little bit closer.”

A World Snooker spokesman said: "Every player in the event is allocated two backstage passes.

"They can make their own decisions who give those to. At no point were his children refused entry."

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