Published Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Allen called for Hearn to quit at the UK Championships in York on Monday, in an outspoken rant over changes to the sport and accused the veteran promoter of making snooker too much like darts and looking to "make money for himself".
The 25-year-old also claimed Hearn's attitude was one of "f*** the players" - an outburst that has brought him a referral to snooker's governing body, the WPBSA, for breaching tournament rules.
He could now be charged with bringing the game into disrepute, but there may also be repercussions away from the table.
Speaking in a number of national newspapers, Hearn said: "I'm disappointed. And while there's a fabulous tournament going on, I'd hoped we could concentrate on that instead of the comments of just one player.
"I'm also disappointed by the personal attack Mark has made on me with his comments that are slanderous and will be taking separate legal advice on the matter."
This is not the beginning of the end for long matches, but sport is changing and anyone with a brain knows that - it needs to become more commercially viable.
Barry Hearn
Allen's initial cause for concern seemed to be changes to the UK Championships format, after first and second-round matches were cut from 17 frames to 11.
"The whole tradition of the game is going to pot - he (Hearn) needs to get away from the darts factor," Allen said.
"I think in the long run he'll probably do good for snooker, but not for my generation. It's time to let someone else have a go."
Hearn has held the sport's top position for 18 months, after being voted in by the players, and has won the support of the likes of former World Champions Shaun Murphy and Mark Williams.
He has already made a number of changes - like increasing the number of ranking events by two and adding another 13 tournaments that carry ranking points - while prize money has also gone up.
Other leading names have voiced concerns though, with John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan questioning some of Hearn's decisions.
But the 63-year-old, who also chairs the Professional Darts Corporation, Matchroom Sports and Leyton Orient FC, believes change was necessary.
"The ratings are up, ticket sales are 50% up on last year," he added.
"So the changes seem to be working for the improvement of snooker. Let's face it, things had to change."
Allen will return to the table for the first time since his comments on Wednesday, when he will play Ali Carter for a place in the quarter-finals.