HIGHLIGHTS: Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby first competition..

 

O’Sullivan, 47, is going to face consequences for openly attacking the World Snooker Tour for their position on five players participating in a Macau exhibition earlier this season.

Amidst the dispute, he has reportedly vowed to give up snooker.

O’Sullivan has made some remarks that have prompted a response from the WST.

The Englishman remarked, “The letter they sent me has not been very nice.”

“I believe I’ve contributed much to this game. You know what, we believe you’ve done fantastic for the game and we enjoy what you give, is probably what I’d expect someone to say.

“I never receive letters saying ‘well done’. I just receive a letter telling me that I made mistakes here and there. I know the culture at World Snooker is not for me, therefore I haven’t spoken to anyone there in ten years, and I won’t ever reach out to them again.”

The five players—Luca Brecel, the current world champion; John Higgins and Mark Selby, the four-time world champions; Thepchaiya Un-Nooh; and Ali Carter—were spared disciplinary action when the Macau event was rescheduled for December with WST’s approval.

O’Sullivan, the current world number one, supported the players in their October conflict with the WST.

Mark Allen of Northern Ireland expressed his hope for a “peaceful resolution” to the contract more recently.

Stars like O’Sullivan, who can draw sizable audiences wherever they perform, find special events in East Asia to be a lucrative proposition. He feels that contracts to play on the main professional tour should be more flexible to enable this to happen.

“Sharing a slice of cake with 130 players [on the main tour] is difficult,” O’Sullivan stated.

“They pay me ten or fifteen times as much in China as I can get paid to play here. I have to consider what is best for my family at this point in my career. I desire for kids to lead pleasant lives.”