Ronnie O’Sullivan backed by rival he told to 'sort his life out' in World Championship row
Ronnie O'Sullivan has divided opinion with his controversial World Snooker Championship stance.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has found an unlikely ally in the form of Ali Carter in the wake of his comments regarding the World Snooker Championship. The pair famously clashed after their Masters final, which the Rocket won before he launched into a foul-mouthed rant about Carter and told him that he needs to “sort his f*****g life out”.
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O’Sullivan arrived in Sheffield full of complaints about the venue for snooker’s showpiece tournament, as he claimed that the World Championship should be moved to either Saudi Arabia or China in order to grow the sport and better accommodate players.
However, the majority of his peers and snooker’s fanbase have disagreed with O’Sullivan. The event is contracted to the Crucible until 2027 and many have called for that deal to be renewed, but Carter surprisingly offered the Rocket his support on the controversial matter.
“It’s got to move for me,” Carter told Sporting Life. “For it to build. I’m not saying it’s a good move in the sense of nostalgia and history, but if you want to grow an event into a truly global event with bigger audiences, better hospitality, it’s got to move to a bigger venue for me.
“Obviously I love playing here, it’s nothing against the Crucible, but we have been here 40-odd years. If you do the same thing for 40 years, you’re only going to get the same thing aren’t you?
“And it’s a great event, but if it does move then it has the chance to build momentum. Arguably, look at the Masters, now that’s probably for me a bigger event than this event - the support it gets, the spectators, the fans, the venue’s bigger, it’s in London. Maybe if it (World Championship) does go abroad they will find the right home for it and it can grow.”
O’Sullivan and Carter rarely see eye to eye, especially after their war of words in January when the Captain accused the Masters winner of “snotting all over the floor” at Alexandra Palace, causing the 48-year-old to lash out in his post-match press conference.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan wants the World Championship to move to Saudi Arabia but others are divided.@markwil147 explains why he's done a 'u-turn' and now wants it to stay at the Crucible, but Shaun Murphy & Ali Carter feel it's time for changepic.twitter.com/hd4bVv60wg
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) April 20, 2024
"F******g why has he got issues with me? I'm not having it," said O'Sullivan. “Grow some balls. I don't give a f**k. The more he brings it on, the more I f******g punish him every time. Absolutely. He's just digging a grave for himself. He needs to sort his f*****g life out.
"Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He's not a nice person. It's not a nice vibe he leaves around the table. I've said my piece and you're going to write what you're going to write. I don't give a s**t. I've said it now, done.”
It remains unlikely that the two have buried the hatchet, but O’Sullivan has received little backing from rivals at the World Championship and will be grateful for Carter’s support, despite their ongoing feud.
