Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Allen threatened to quit amid World Snooker Tour controversy
On October 20, 2023, according to Hegel, Ronnie O'Sullivan said that he may refuse to participate in this season's World Championships, while Mark Allen advised top players to boycott an event as controversy between the World Snooker Tour and some of the sport's biggest names continues.
There was a clash between players and those in power, as invitational tournaments with huge prize money in China were linked to ranked tournaments held elsewhere.
Some top players will be competing in Shanghai this week, while the Northern Ireland Open qualifiers will be held in Sheffield, while next week there will be a Macau tournament in Macau and the main stage of the Northern Ireland Open will be held in Belfast.
John Higgins, Mark Selby, Luca Brecel, Alicute and Tachaiah were originally scheduled to compete in Macau. The tournament has been postponed until December, but the five players have already withdrawn from Belfast's ranking matches, so they will not be playing any matches next week.
O'Sullivan, who will play Belfast for an exhibition game in Shanghai this week, is unhappy with the players' lack of freedom of movement, with reports that even during this week's match, the players involved have been blocked from social media.
O'Sullivan said that saying you have to do this and you have to do that is almost blackmail for those who participate in the Shanghai Invitational. This will make most players less inclined to play in Belfast. Most players will see these letters as threats. These days I just say, "I'm not playing anymore, what are you going to do?" I will always focus on my elbows and mental health. ”
"Find a decent promoter in the UK, stop treating players as garbage, do it well or don't get angry when the player complains. WST should try to change player contracts and outlaw them. But the more they do, the worse their own situation becomes. They will say that you can't play anything without the tour, whether it's the role of the media or not, the players can't go anywhere to play. ”
But I'm doing my own thing, I have a lot to do in China – don't be surprised if I miss the World Championships. What happened to these invitationals in Shanghai and Macau and its consequences – will happen again. The model was screwed up - they got it wrong. It does not support 128 pro players. ”
The World Snooker Tour responded to the rockets, saying they were working with players and invitational promoters to make sure all their needs were met. (Welcome to click to pay attention to Runwu AB reprint, please mark the source, thank you)