Ronnie O'Sullivan speaks out on breakaway tour and Saudi Arabia deal

Ronnie O’Sullivan feels players should keep their options open (Picture: Getty Images)

Ronnie O’Sullivan has encouraged players to accept whatever the best offer is for them, whether that is the World Snooker Tour or other options elsewhere.

Rumours have been swirling over a rival tour springing up next season, with Barry Hearn addressing the speculation during the World Championship in Sheffield.

The Matchroom Sport chairman said he is unfazed by the threat of a potential rival and said players are welcome to leave but would have to re-qualify for the World Snooker Tour through Q School if they wanted to return.

O’Sullivan has recently signed an ambassadorial deal with Saudi Arabia, committing him to play in WST events in the country, so he is not set to be part of any breakaway, but has backed any players that are considering it.

‘Every player has the right to do what they want to do – you see it in other sports like golf,’ O’Sullivan told a press conference on Thursday.

‘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 not be money, it might be a reduced schedule, everyone has to make that decision for themselves. I’m just an open book, I’m here, best offer, come speak to me, you’ll find my contact details on Instagram.

‘The bottom line for me is I just want to play and enjoy snooker but we all have families to feed. Each sportsman is a business whether you like it or not so you have to do what’s right for you, we live in a competitive world, so it’s great that there’s this choice out there.

O’Sullivan strolled past Jackson Page in round one at the Crucible (Picture: Getty Images)

‘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.’

On his own future, O’Sullivan said: ‘I’ll go wherever I’m looked after, wherever I feel like I’m valued. I’m valued on this tour, there are tournaments where I get looked after. I go to Asia and Saudi and have a great time.

‘I have a deal with Saudi Arabia and it’s nothing to do with World Snooker. I’m booked to play in a couple of World Snooker events. That’s my policy around the world, if you want me to play in the event, the promoter and my agent get together and we discuss, and first come first served.

‘There’s 128 players and each player has the right to decide how they operate. I’m excited by the future and the things I’m doing. There’s a lot of moving parts, who knows what it’s going to be.’

O’Sullivan takes on Ryan Day in the last 16 of the World Championship (Picture: Getty Images)

The 48-year-old says the three-year deal he signed with Saudi came about very quickly and he found the hefty financial offer difficult to refuse.

‘The Saudis are powerful outfit, same as China, they’re serious players so things get done pretty quickly and it’s hard to turn down,’ he said. ‘Look at the golfers, it’s really hard sometimes to say no.

‘For me I just want to play snooker, I want to have fun I want to be looked after, want to be pampered, anyone who wants to pamper me and look after me, I’m your man!’

Asked whether he had any second thoughts or misgivings over Saudi Arabia’s concerning human rights record, the Rocket dismissed the issue.

‘I think we’ve got really serious human rights issues going on in the UK and the US,’ he said. ‘America bombing the hell out of countries. What’s going on in Israel and Palestine, I think we need to look a bit nearer to our own western policies rather than looking to what’s going on around the world.

‘We should be looking at ourselves seriously, I don’t think we have the right to criticise anyone.’

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