Ronnie O’Sullivan has sensationally threatened to quit snooker if the World Snooker Tour prevents him from frequently playing in China. Several stars are at odds with the organisation’s stance over competing in Chinese exhibition events, with O’Sullivan already facing the wrath of the WST over ‘disparaging’ comments.
Five snooker players, who have since become known as the Macau Five, missed the Northern Ireland Open earlier in November to play at a non-sanctioned event in China. O’Sullivan was not one of them, but has stated his desire to compete frequently in the country, where players are being offered bumper pay days.
The Rocket accused the WST of “blackmail” and faces a probe over comments he made about the governing body’s treatment of its members. He later claimed he had been silenced and has now insisted that he will not play again if he is not allowed to compete in China.
“If I can’t go and do what I need to do, which is play a lot in China, I won’t ever play again. So, we’re at a kind of crossroads now,” O’Sullivan told the BBC.
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“If that gets to the point where I’m not able to do that, I’m not allowed to do that, I probably won’t play. I’ll probably go and play Chinese eight ball because I still want to play snooker, I still want a cue in my hand.
“There’s just not enough here in the UK for me to justify the effort that I put in.”
O’Sullivan admits he feels more respected and valued by the Chinese event organisers. He describes playing in only WST-sanctioned events as like being in an ‘unhealthy relationship.
The WST insists it deals with all players in a respectful manner and reached a compromise by moving the date of a tournament so that players could compete in the Macau competition.
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But O’Sullivan continued: “If someone’s going to respect me and value me more, why would I not go there? It’s like being in an unhealthy relationship with someone, why would you be in that?”
He added: “I’ve been told not to speak and not to say anything. I now need to really look at my options and where I want to play the next five, six, seven years […] I’m not prepared to compromise.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan: Amol Rajan Interviews is on BBC Two at 7pm on Wednesday 22 November and will be available on BBC iPlayer.
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