Barry Hearn, the chairman of World Snooker, has warned Ronnie O'Sullivan about his conduct after he withdrew from the German Masters earlier this week.
The Englishman had been scheduled to play Dominic Dale on Thursday but cancelled his participation in the event. It is believed that medical reasons are to blame although he was in top form in the inaugural Snooker Shootout in Blackpool last weekend.
O'Sullivan has form when it comes to cancellations – last year he withdrew from the Shanghai Masters, as well as 10 lower-ranking events and anyone who was planning on betting on the snooker star would have been disappointed.
This attendance record has contributed to the former world number one falling to tenth place in the rankings and Hearn has had strong words to say about the prodigy.
Writing in the Guardian, he said: "I don't care if Ronnie doesn't play but what he can't do is enter and pull out at the last minute, without very good reason.
"It's his face on all the posters in Germany; it's a very important tournament for us as we try to develop the European market and an awful lot of people are going to be disappointed he's not there.
"This can't go on. Ronnie's very likeable when he wants to be but he should start considering his future in the game and his responsibilities to it."
O'Sullivan has always been a fans' favourite and his achievements have made him one of the greatest stars on the snooker circuit. It's fair to say that a tournament without him is a tournament significantly devalued and fans may feel short-changed with his no-show.
The incident will add fuel to the fire for The Rocket's critics but he will be hoping to prove everyone wrong later in the year at the World Championship, where he is 9/2 favourite in Ladbrokes Snooker Betting to prevail.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment