I needed to watch the footage three times before I was sure of it, but I agree that the nine, which did not move, oscillated and that this was a foul.
I think it is highly unlikely that Aloysius knew he fouled, and if ten referees were in the arena watching, I wonder if any of them would have noticed it. Still, there is no question that this, under the strictest interpretation of the rules, is a foul.
Still, we must cut them all some slack. Any suggestion that only an incompetent referee would have failed to notice the ever so slight oscillation of the 9ball is, to me, ridiculous. It was a difficult call to make and, yes, it was missed. Calls are missed all the time, and sometimes in big spots like this one. Yes, it is a shame. Had Fedor noticed the oscillation of the 9ball, he could have requested a video review of the shot (for you old timers, this happened very late in the Darryl Peach vs Francisco Bustamante World 9ball semifinal in 2007 and the original call was changed.) Unfortunately, unless somebody deems the shot worthy of review, it will not be reviewed, and in this case nobody did.
Let's not compare this to the waxing issue at the WPC, where referees had ample evidence that the rules were not being observed but failed to institute rules that they are paid to enforce. Nonetheless, I objected strongly to any suggestion that such failures cheapened the accomplishment of eventual champion Biado.
I was rooting for Fedor, but I will not allow this incident to devalue Yapp's win in any way. Fedor had his chance in Rack 24 and missed, sealing his fate. Yapp was the best this week, and he has been the best 9ball player in the world for several months now.
Well played, Aloysius Yapp.
