Republican packed in celebrity ball game (5)
I believe the answer is:
frame
'ball game' is the definition.
(a game of snooker)
'republican packed in celebrity' is the wordplay.
'republican' becomes 'r' (abbreviation).
'packed in' indicates putting letters inside.
'celebrity' becomes 'fame' (celebrity can mean the quality of being famous).
'r' inserted inside 'fame' is 'FRAME'.
(Other definitions for frame that I've seen before include "Picture holder" , "Unit of play in snooker tournament" , "Snooker game; structure" , "Potter's half-hour or so" , "Supporting, enclosing, structure" .)