Ronnie O'Sullivan: Seven-time world champion 'damaging' snooker with 'misguided' comments, says WST chief

1 year ago 60
World Snooker Tour president  Steve Dawson (left) presented Judd Trump with the Masters trophy astatine  this year's tournamentWorld Snooker Tour president Steve Dawson (left) presented Judd Trump with the Masters trophy astatine this year's tournament

Ronnie O'Sullivan is "damaging" snooker with "misguided" criticisms and should purpose to beryllium "a existent ambassador" for his athletics similar Rory McIlroy and Roger Federer, the sport's main has claimed.

He besides labelled the athletics "cheap" and said players are acrophobic to talk out.

"Snooker is bigger than immoderate player," World Snooker Tour seat Steve Dawson said successful a statement connected the WST website.external-link

"Ronnie is simply a fantastic subordinate and a fable of our sport, but sometimes his misguided comments spell excessively far.

"He often compares snooker to play and tennis, but I would situation him arsenic to whether for his portion helium elevates the athletics and acts arsenic a relation exemplary similar a McIlroy oregon Federer."

Snooker 'bang successful trouble', says Rocket

In a wide-ranging interview, O'Sullivan, who volition bid to assertion a record-breaking eighth satellite rubric astatine the Crucible Theatre adjacent month, launched a disparaging onslaught connected those moving the game.

He said snooker, which has besides been engulfed by a match-fixing scandal successful caller months, is successful "a atrocious place" and "beyond a crisis" - and went arsenic acold arsenic suggesting those successful complaint should measurement aside.

O'Sullivan criticised the simplification successful the fig of nonrecreational tournaments and prize wealth connected connection and adjacent advocated the thought of a subordinate onslaught successful bid to effect superior change.

The 47-year-old claimed the radical managing the crippled are "not the brightest sparks" and that snooker had "lost its charm" and go "like a pub sport".

"If they tin beryllium honorable capable with themselves, possibly the radical that tally the crippled request to accidental 'we person taken it arsenic acold arsenic we can'," O'Sullivan said.

"If they truly person the emotion of the athletics they would manus it implicit to idiosyncratic other that had higher ambitions. This needs astatine slightest different £50m a twelvemonth conscionable to marque it a due tour.

Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled Stephen Hendry's grounds   of 7  satellite   titles by beating Judd Trump successful  the 2022 finalRonnie O'Sullivan equalled Stephen Hendry's grounds of 7 satellite titles by beating Judd Trump successful the 2022 final

"When you look astatine £10million prize wealth for 25 events crossed the twelvemonth for 128 players, it's ne'er going to beryllium good. It needs astatine slightest to triple that to marque it work.

"I can't bash more. I person carried the athletics beauteous overmuch for the past 20-30 years. It's not 1 player. It's the sport, it's not a monolithic sport.

"At Wimbledon it is astir apt £50m for the 1 event. You look astatine golf, minimum archetypal prize of £1.2m and the apical players don't adjacent crook up for that.

"We are playing for the victor gets £80,000 astir weeks and the runner-up gets £35,000. It's bang successful trouble. There are a batch of players I cognize who are truly unhappy and frightened to talk retired due to the fact that they volition get fined."

'Comments damaging and unfounded' - Dawson

However, Dawson - who took over arsenic the WST's caput fig aft Barry Hearn stood down successful 2021 - accused 'The Rocket' of failing to talk with the game's enactment connected the issues raised successful his interview.

"Ronnie has ne'er attended a players' gathering oregon engaged with america to sermon his opinions," Dawson added.

"There are 3 ceremonial levels wherever helium tin supply feedback: done the WST Board, the WPBSA Players' committee oregon done players' meetings, and helium has not engaged done immoderate of these channels."

On the taxable of players' earnings, Dawson added: "Prize wealth reached £15m earlier the pandemic and is presently astatine £11m.

"The dip since 2019 has been principally caused by the inability to signifier tournaments successful China portion the state was successful an unprecedented lockdown.

"There are galore idiosyncratic sports wherever the levels of prize wealth are importantly little than snooker. For now, we are much than holding our ain for the quality and size of the sport.

"This play we person provided each subordinate with a £20,000 income warrant to assistance them wage expenses and make their careers.

"We are striving to instrumentality snooker to a higher level, but we request the players to beryllium ambassadors successful public, and to pass immoderate concerns they person done the close channels.

"Comments similar those from Ronnie this week are damaging to america arsenic a athletics - and they're unfounded.

"If Ronnie took vantage of his ain monolithic planetary popularity to beryllium a existent ambassador for snooker past helium could enactment with america to thrust the athletics guardant for his payment and for the athletics arsenic a whole."

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