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Mark Allen says the “players ultimately hold the power” over the future of snooker following his criticism of the World Snooker Tour.<\/span><\/p>\n But Allen, who plays John Higgins in the Champion of Champions semi-final on Saturday, believes snooker is a “long way away” from being its best self.<\/span><\/p>\n “I believe so,” said Allen, when asked if changes should be player led.<\/span><\/p>\n “I think the players ultimately hold the power. Without the top players, the game doesn’t survive, so I think changes are needed.<\/span><\/p>\n “I think the sport is a long way away from being what it can be. I’m happy to sit down with the people that make those decisions in a quiet room and discuss it.<\/span><\/p>\n “Hopefully we can sit down and amicably come to a good settlement.”<\/span><\/p>\n The 37-year-old won the Northern Ireland Open title, the UK Championship title and the World Grand Prix title last season.<\/span><\/p>\n His success on the table earned him the World Snooker Tour player of the year award for the 2022-23 season.<\/span><\/p>\n Allen will attempt to defend his UK Championship title in York later this month as he he hopes to top off a stellar year.<\/span><\/p>\n “It’s been the best 12 months of my career and it would be nice to finish it off with a win – Champion of Champions or UK Championships, I’ll take any of them,” added Allen. <\/span><\/p>\n “I want to be world number one. I want to be world champion. It hasn’t been the best start to the season but there is a long way to go, a lot of tournaments to go. <\/span><\/p>\n “I still believe I can finish [the season as world number one]. If I win the world championship, that takes care of both. <\/span><\/p>\n “They are the ultimate goals. When I first lifted a cue at 12 years of age, that’s what I wanted to be – world number one and world champion.<\/span><\/p>\n