‘Ronnie’s behaviour was outrageous for a professional’

punish him every time. He’s just digging a grave for himself. I don’t give a f***. That’s it, I’ve said my piece.’

But O’Sullivan, 48, added: ‘He’s got beef with me. He’s got issues, he’s got to sort his life out, he’s got to see a counsellor or something. He’s got to sort it out because I haven’t spoken to him for 20 years.

‘I played with him when he was a kid and shared a lot of stuff with him.

‘For him to come out and try to trash talk me like that, do you know what? He can have one of them (a middle finger gesture), he can sit on it as far as I’m concerned.’

The bad blood between the pair boiled over at ‘barge-gate’ at the 2018 World Championship in Sheffield. O’Sullivan barged Carter in the ribs and snapped: ‘That’s for being Mr Angry’.

They exchanged words as Carter sealed a shock win in the last 16, one of only three in his 26 matches against O’Sullivan.

The seven-time world champion is currently locked in a disciplinary dispute with the game’s governing body for disparaging comments he made earlier this season and is likely to be fined for swearing in his final Masters press conference.

Tempers flared as Carter, 44, had an altercation with crowd members, who at times called out when he was on his shot.

Carter said: ‘There were a couple of things that happened out there that go unnoticed. Well, they don’t go unnoticed — anyone with an eyesight or a brain can see what’s going on.

‘It’s disgusting quite frankly. No one wants to say anything, do they? (O’Sullivan) snotting all over the floor and all that. I mean it’s outrageous behaviour from a top professional. If it gets swept under the carpet then for me, it’s not good.

‘And there were some morons in the crowd. It’s unbelievable really. It is hard enough to beat him, but when you have people shouting on your shot and saying stupid things at important times... my head wanted to come off.’