Ronnie O’Sullivan rips into snooker chiefs as he says the sport is in “worst place ever”
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has tangled with snooker bosses in an extraordinary tirade about the state of the sport being at its ‘worst place ever’.
A passionate Ronnie O’Sullivan has blasted snooker bosses in an explosive tirade about the demise of a sport he believes is in its “worst place ever”.
The Rocket has launched an extraordinary assault on the running snooker game – just a month before he began his quest for an eighth world title at the Crucible Theatre.
O’Sullivan, world no.
A match-fixing hearing involving 10 Chinese players who are suspended and charged with various betting offenses will begin in the middle of the Blue Ribbon tournament at the Steel City.
And among snooker professionals, dismay is growing at what appears to be an inadequate calendar, with frustration building over canceled tournaments and reduced prize money as major events in China are still not on the post-Covid schedule.
O’Sullivan, 47, is extremely amused by the current state of affairs. He claims it takes an injection of prize money and fresh ideas to save a failing sport.
“Listen, snooker is in a bad place,” he said. “It’s in trouble. Forget Turkey [Turkish Masters recently cancelled]. This requires at least another £50m a year just to turn it into 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.”
He added: “It’s probably as bad as it’s ever been, also because of the betting scandal. There are a lot of players I know who are really unhappy and scared to speak up because they’re being fined. They are told that.
“The game has problems, if you look at the numbers it’s bad. But we all want the best for the game. I can’t do more. I’ve worn the sport quite a bit over the last 20-30 years. It’s not a player. It’s the sport, it’s not a mass sport.”
O’Sullivan is concerned about the modest earnings of top-level snooker professionals compared to the lucrative sums offered at the elite levels of tennis and golf. And the game’s most successful character has hinted that unless players take a common stance, nothing will change, declaring that pros should say, “We don’t play until you listen to us.”
World Snooker has reacted to an angry O’Sullivan by insisting the sport has a bright future and that exciting opportunities will arise when Asian markets reopen post-Covid.
A spokesperson said: “Last week we held a constructive meeting with players, which unfortunately Ronnie was not able to attend, where we set out our vision for the future of snooker and addressed issues that are important to players.
“Results were positive and players were encouraged by WST’s progressive strategy. WST works diligently in many of the areas that Ronnie brought up and achieves notable results. We’ve broken ticket sales records for most of our events this season, and our global TV and digital audiences are bigger than ever.
“Prize money for our UK events has increased since the pandemic began. Post COVID we have committed to return to China in 2023 and are optimistic about that prospect which would place our tour in the strongest position it has ever been.
“We work with the leading sports agencies whose clients include the Premier League, FIFA, Ryder Cup and The Masters. Our long-term strategy is based on world-class analytics and is data-driven. We would always welcome Ronnie sharing his ideas and discussing our plans and strategy directly with WST.”