Ronnie O’Sullivan backs insurgent snooker stars in LIV-style breakaway tour warning

Ronnie O’Sullivan has known as on his fellow snooker professionals to ‘go the place the cash is’ and think about a breakaway tour amid rumours of a Saudi-backed revolt. The Rocket started his World Championship marketing campaign with a 10-1 demolition of Jackson Page however controversy has reigned over the match amid discuss of shifting the showpiece occasion away from the long-lasting Crucible Theatre venue in Sheffield.

Snooker supremo Barry Hearn played down talk of a LIV Golf-style development within the sport throughout a BBC grilling on Wednesday, however O’Sullivan believes that he and his friends ought to be capable of compete elsewhere, in direct competitors with the World Snooker Tour (WST).

WST guidelines prohibit stars from taking part in in occasions not run by the tour in the event that they conflict with their very own occasions, however are free to take action when a spot within the calendar seems. The Rocket not too long ago signed a profitable three-year cope with Saudi Arabia and was dubbed the Kingdom’s “snooker ambassador” by Hearn, earlier than insisting that gamers ought to be capable of be a part of a breakaway tour.

“There’s talk there might be another tour,” O’Sullivan defined. “Every player has the right to do what they want to do – you see it in other sports like golf. 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? And the answer is yes. I’m, happy with my life.

“I want to be looked after wanna be pampered, anyone who wants to pamper me and look after me, I’m your man. I’m just an open book, I’m here, best offer, come speak to me, you’ll find my contact details on Instagram. First come first served, that will be my policy until I stop playing.

“Each sportsman is a business whether you like it or not so you have to do what’s right for you. We all have families to feed. Every person in the world is like that, I’ve got a friend who works for the NHS but has been offered three or four times her salary to go and work in Australia so she’s going to go and do that. She’s just going for the better pay, that’s what happens sometimes. We live in a competitive world, so it’s great that there’s this choice out there.”

Should a breakaway tour develop, snooker would be dramatically altered as two competing tours would likely see massive sums of money offered to WST professionals to revolt. Whether the rebels would be able to compete at Triple Crown events would also come under question, similar to the disruption caused in golf due to LIV.