ROCKET’S GETTING SHIRTY

WORLD SNOOKER Ronnie blasts bosses for ‘laughable’ football tops ban

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has hit out at snooker bosses over a football shirt ban.

The Rocket starts his bid for a sixth world title at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield today.

The 42-year-old enters the tournament on the back of a record-equalling campaign, having won five major tournaments already this season. And he has been handed the toughest possible first-round draw against former world No.2 Stephen Maguire of Scotland.

But fan Brian Wright, 48, a front-row regular for 29 years, who likes to wear his Coventry City shirt while watching, is set to be refused entry this morning if he turns up in his kit.

Wright features in many of the photos of O’Sullivan’s most-famous triumphs at the iconic theatre.

And O’Sullivan said: “Listen, you pay your money, you get your ticket and you should be allowed to wear what you want.

Smarter

“You watch the darts, they have no football shirts – but there are people walking around dressed as Superman. Football shirts aren’t worse than that.

“It is quite laughable. Maybe we’ll get fans dressed as Teletubbies at the Crucible.”

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn wants a smarter image for the sport – and also worries about pockets of rivals fans antagonising each other.

But Wright has hit out at the decision and insists he will be turning up dressed as usual. Security staff have been briefed and the Sky Blues’ fan could be offered an alternative top.

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan is homing in on many of seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry’s remaining records.

He has moved on to 33 ranking titles this season, just three behind the Scot – and another two Crucible wins would match Hendry’s most cherished achievement.

O’Sullivan added: “It is always hard to compare between eras in terms of what you have won.

“If you won them when fields were weak, that doesn’t really mean as much.

“The best records I think about are ones like Roger Federer in tennis, who won all of his majors with Nadal, Djokovic around. How many would he have won without them there? ® Maybe 40. I am really not sure how to measure myself against Stephen Hendry, that is for others – but as long as I get a buzz from snooker I will keep doing it.

“I am up against Stephen Maguire – but it’s not complicated whoever you play – if you play well you win, if you don’t, you go home.

“Stephen is a fantastic player and it is probably the sort of match as a seed you wouldn’t want to draw first round.

“But I have drawn him and I just have to get on with it, see what happens and hopefully win.

“I never over-analyse and just play instinctively. I never know what I’m going to do or how it will happen, it just does.”

Though he has won the event five times, O’Sullivan makes it clear he finds the 17 days in Sheffield a slog if he makes it all the way to the final.

And he could soon be ready to trade one marathon for another.

O’Sullivan said: “It is a bit like asking Usain Bolt to run a marathon.

“I prefer events when you are away in under a week. Mo Farah would love the Crucible.

“I love my running as everyone knows, I’ve never really trained for the marathon although I could run one.

“If I did it, I would want to do a really good time because I usually do shorter distances.

“It is something I will probably do when I stop playing snooker.”