Ronnie O’Sullivan will face disciplinary action after refusing to fulfil his media duties after his snooker world championship win over David Gilbert Today.
The five-times world champion skipped the press conference after his 10-7 opening round victory at the Crucible in Sheffield, breaching part of the contract that all tour players are required to sign.
Should he be found guilty by a World Professional Billiards and snooker Association disciplinary panel, O’Sullivan is likely to receive a relatively small fine before his next appearance scheduled for Saturday.
World Snooker said: “All players have a responsibility to the sport, and in particular to their fans. This includes fulfilling media obligations at events. Any players found to be in breach of these rules will be referred to the disciplinary process.”
O’Sullivan’s decision, which was relayed to the waiting media by a WPBSA official, came as a surprise given the relatively relaxed nature of his progress into the last 16.
Although he never quite hit top form against his opponent, he hit breaks of 101 and 72 as he transformed a 6-3 overnight lead into his three frame victory.
O’Sullivan had showed no sign of any issues with the media in the buildup to the tournament, having participated fully in a preview day.
Gilbert paid tribute to his opponent, saying: “That is probably the best I’ll ever play without winning a game of snooker. It was an honour to play the legend that is Ronnie O’Sullivan. I know he wasn’t quite on top of his game but I feel like I learned a lot and I’ve got nothing to be disgraced about.
“There’s not a lot you can worry about when you play against Ronnie because you just expect to get punished every time something doesn’t go your way.”
This is just another controvertible incident with O’Sullivan involved during this years world snooker championships in Sheffield.
