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Hearn laughs off O'Sullivan rant

Ronnie O'Sullivan is arguably snooker's biggest draw © PA Photos

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World Snooker chief Barry Hearn has hit back at Ronnie O'Sullivan's claim that the game's leading players are being blackmailed, mockingly suggesting he is "guilty as charged".

Having captured a fourth world title on Monday with an 18-11 victory over Ali Carter at the Crucible, the Rocket marked his triumph by publicly criticising the way snooker's governing body was treating its stars.

O'Sullivan, 36, is not happy about the new schedule - which comprises 27 tour events across 50 weeks of the year, with the four-time world champion claiming it puts players in an uncomfortable position where they have to compete in minor tournaments in order to rack up the necessary ranking points to qualify for the bigger competitions.

However, Hearn has laughed off O'Sullivan's argument, insisting the new system allows players to pick and choose to compete in events as they see fit.

"Blackmail?" Hearn said in the Daily Telegraph. "Guilty as charged, your honour. I love Ronnie to bits. But will I sit down and talk to him about this? Well, let's just say Ronnie is renowned for many things, but logic isn't one of them.

"I have a duty to the game as a whole, my task was to fill up the schedule with tournaments every week and I've done that. Nothing in the contract says you've got to play in all of them, however.

"Tiger Woods picks and chooses which golf tournaments he plays in. I think Ronnie should do the same. What we don't want is players entering then pulling out. And if people pull out they will be fined.

"But I don't have a problem if they say they won't come and they don't. I'd love Ronnie in every event, course I would, just like PGA would want Tiger. But if he's not there, we get on with it."

O'Sullivan, who is set to take a six-month break to spend time with his family before rejoining the circuit, said the busier schedule had left him feeling so drained at times that on one occasion - after fulfilling contractual demands - he almost crashed his car after falling asleep at the wheel.

However, Hearn, who is hoping to hold talks with O'Sullivan, said he was surprised by some of the Essex cueman's comments.

"Last season he played 60 days of snooker, most people who go to work would recognise that as a pretty low-key year," he said. "But that's his choice. My choice is to work 365 days a year.

"Sometimes there's very little logic with Ronnie. He's been telling everyone he's about to retire since the UK Championships when he was 18. That means he's been threatening it for 18 years. I don't think even Frank Sinatra retired that many times. What I say to Ronnie is this: embrace life, play in what you want. We'll welcome you with open arms."

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