Ronnie O'Sullivan opens arms to LIV style snooker breakaway as he tells Saudi money men 'I'm your man'

Ronnie O'Sullivan would welcome a LIV style breakaway snooker tour - and urged any player on the fence to go where the money is.

It's been reported that a number of top stars within the sport have been offered up to £350,000 to join a controversial, highly-lucrative Saudi backed organisation, similar to the one that has taken the world of golf by storm and tempted the likes of Jon Rahm to ditch the longstanding PGA tour. The World Snooker Tour who have made it clear contracted players can play anywhere, as long as it doesn't clash with their major events, but it would leave potters with a big decision regarding whether or not to turn their back on the professional circuit this summer.

O'Sullivan has frequently drawn criticism for prioritising events in China and the Middle East over established events in the UK and recently welcomed the idea of moving the Snooker World Championship to Saudi Arabia once the Crucible's contract expires.

Bullish Barry Hearn believes in the financial security of the World Snooker Tour and told rebels they would have to start at Q School if they wanted to come back. But world No.1 O’Sullivan, who kicked off his bid for a record eighth World Championship with a 10-1 demolition of qualifier Jackson Page, said: “There’s talk there might be another tour. Every player has the right to do what they want to do – you see it in other sports like golf.

“The bottom line is you’ve got to be prepared to walk away, if I didn’t get what I want am I prepared to walk away from the sport? And the answer is yes. I’m, happy with my life. I want to be looked after, I want to be pampered, anyone who wants to pamper me and look after me, I’m your man.

“I’m just an open book, I’m here, best offer, come speak to me, you’ll find my contact details on Instagram. First come, first served, that will be my policy until I stop playing. Each sportsman is a business whether you like it or not so you have to do what’s right for you. We all have families to feed.

“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. We live in a competitive world, so it’s great that there’s this choice out there."

O’Sullivan has been criticised for joining forces with oil-rich Saudi Arabia. And when asked about the condemnation of the sportswashing country’s appalling human rights record, O’Sullivan said people should look closer to home. The Rocket, wearing a Riyadh Season logo on his sleeve, added: “I think we’ve got really serious human rights issues going on in the UK and the US. We should be looking at our selves seriously, I don’t think we have the right to criticise anyone.”

The country has been heavily linked with hosting the World Championship once the current contract with the Crucible Theatre ends in 2027. That would coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the event at the iconic venue and the centenary of the tournament being held. But Jimmy White, a six-time runner-up, launched a passionate plea to snooker bosses to keep the event at its spiritual Sheffield home.

“You would lose the magic of the venue,” stressed the Whirlwind. “It has been here since 1977. In the 1980s, snooker became huge, it has gone from strength to strength. People don’t turn around and say, I want to play at the World Championship. They say I want to play at the Crucible.”