O’sullivan leaves options open over ‘rebel tour’
Ronnie O’sullivan declared himself open to offers amid rumours of a rival snooker tour, and the seventime world champion warned he would walk away from the sport if he believed his talent was being undervalued.
Leading players are understood to have been approached by Fareast backers about establishing a breakaway circuit from next season. O’sullivan, who beat Jackson Page 10-1 win yesterday in the first round of the World Championship in Sheffield, insisted players had a right to consider any lucrative opportunities.
He said: “Every player has the right to do what they want to do. Each sportsman is a business, whether you like it or not and it’s just like any other job – if you get a better offer, you’re going to go.
“What is a better offer? For some people, it might be a reduced schedule, it might be more money. Everyone has a different idea of what is right for them.
“I’ll go wherever I’m looked after and wherever I feel like I’m valued. For me, I just want to play snooker, I want to have fun, I want to be looked after and pampered. Anyone who wants to pamper me and look after me, I’m your man.”
The World Snooker Tour has relaxed rules on player contracts since a high-profile row in October, when five leading players were threatened with legal action after indicating they would skip the Northern Ireland Open in favour of an exhibition in Macau.
Players are now able to play in exhibitions provided they do not clash directly with WST events – the number of which is set to increase following WST’S link-up with Saudi Arabia. The kingdom staged the inaugural World Masters of Snooker last month – complete with a prize for potting a golden ball which will double to $1 million (£800,000) next season – and will hold its first ranking event in Riyadh in August.
The deal appears to have placated a number of leading players, including O’sullivan, who has signed a separate promotional deal with the kingdom, but he maintained he would have no hesitation in moving on if he received more favourable opportunities.
“The bottom line is, you’ve got to be prepared to walk away. If I didn’t get what I want, am I prepared to walk away from the sport? The answer is yes.”