Ronnie O’Sullivan claims snooker is ‘in the worst place it has ever been’

• Ronnie O’Sullivan lashed out at snooker bosses for lack of vision and prize money
• O’Sullivan gave his assessment of the state of snooker ahead of his world title defense
• The World Championships will take place amid an ongoing corruption probe

Ronnie O’Sullivan believes snooker is at its “worst place ever” amid low prize money and an ongoing corruption scandal, with the world number one criticizing the officials who oversee the sport.

O’Sullivan withdrew from the World Snooker Tour Classic on Sunday with an elbow injury, just a month before defending his world title at the Crucible in Sheffield.

The World Snooker Tour Classic was introduced to replace the Turkish Masters, which was canceled in January, dealing another financial blow to the sport.

Snooker continues to be impacted by the loss of events in China due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

O’Sullivan has claimed that the sport needs “right people” to improve snooker’s image and increase prize money on the World Snooker Tour.

“Snooker is in a bad place, it’s in trouble,” O’Sullivan said, as reported by The Sun. “Forget Turkey, that needs at least another £50m a year just to make it a proper tour.

“If you look at the number, it’s bad. When you look at £10m in prize money for 25 events a year for 128 players, it never gets good. It needs to be at least tripled for it to work.

“Maybe you need some decent people like Liberty [in Formula One] or someone with a vision to bring it up to date.

“Look at the people actually running the game, they’re not the brightest sparks either. So you can’t see them digging out. But you don’t have to be Einstein.

“It’s probably the worst place it’s ever been. The sport’s image is now a bit like a pub sport.

The World Snooker Championships will be held in Sheffield from April 15th to May 1st.

A high-profile hearing will take place on April 24 after 10 Chinese players were indicted by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) in January following an investigation into alleged match-fixing.

The WPBSA confirmed earlier this month that the 10 players, including former Masters champion Yan Bingtao, will be absent from World Snooker Tour events until the case is resolved.

O’Sullivan, the Rocket has claimed the ongoing case is having an impact on the sport.

The 47-year-old also suggests players are currently afraid to speak out against snooker’s leadership for fear of a fine.

The World Snooker Tour responded to his comments by stating that they held a constructive meeting with players about their vision last week, adding that O’Sullivan chose not to attend.

“Results were positive and players were encouraged by the progressive strategy outlined,” read a statement. ‘WST works diligently in many areas that Ronnie addresses and is achieving notable success.

“We have broken ticket sales records for most of our events and our global TV and digital audience is larger than ever.

“Prize money for our UK events has increased since the pandemic began. We are committed to returning to China in 2023 and putting our tour in the strongest position it has ever been.”