Ronnie O’Sullivan has left snooker fans fuming (Image: Getty)
has been blasted as an ‘absolute disgrace’ by snooker fans after he pulled out of the Scottish Open at the 11th hour.
The seven-time world champion was due to play in the evening session against Xing Zihao at Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh on Tuesday.
But less than 24 hours before the match was scheduled to start, it was
His match was replaced by Shaun Murphy’s fixture with Daniel Wells on the main table, which may have irritated the snooker fans who paid out for tickets on the basis that O’Sullivan would be playing.
It came after world No 1 Judd Trump and snooker icon Mark Williams also opted to skip the event, leaving fans in the Scottish capital feeling disappointed.
But O’Sullivan’s absence tipped some spectators over the edge as they made their dissenting voices clear in the crowd.
A video montage of ‘The Rocket’s’ career highlights flashed up on the big TV screen before Murphy’s match, which reportedly prompted boos from people in the crowd.
Following O’Sullivan’s withdrawal from the event, fans fumed about the snooker icon’s late decision not to play in the Scottish event.
Shaun Murphy replaced Ronnie O’Sullivan on the main table (Image: Getty)
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One disgruntled fan, who claimed to have travelled a far distance to attend, said: “I can’t believe Ronnie has pulled out of the tournament. I got the train from Inverness and have tickets for his opening match.
“He’s an absolute disgrace for doing this hours before he was meant to play. It cost me a fortune.”
According to another fan outside the venue joked that O’Sullivan should be renamed “Ronnie O’Villain”, adding “he probably doesn’t think the £100,000 prize money is worth getting out of bed for.”
And judging from O’Sullivan’s past comments on remuneration packages, it may be a fair argument.
Fans have accused Ronnie O’Sullivan of selling out to the highest bidder (Image: Getty)
The Londoner previously indicated that he would only be willing to travel to Saudi Arabia and China for lucrative prize pots.
“I’m contracted to do certain events in China, and I’m contracted to go to Saudi, so obviously they’ve got first dibs then it’s about spending time at home with the family,” he previously said.
“If people are prepared to pay it, I’ll get my cue out of my case. If they’re not, I’m content to never ever play again, and move on and do other stuff.”
O’Sullivan is likely to be back in action next week in the Arabian Gulf as the veteran participates in the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, where he will be defending his title.