Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan under fire after making lewd remarks (original) (raw)

Ronnie O'Sullivan faces a heavy fine and a disrepute charge after being caught on camera making lewd remarks following his exit from the China Open.

The game's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, are reviewing a tape of his press conference where he appeared to make suggestive remarks while his answers were being translated into Chinese.

The tape shows O'Sullivan growing restless at the time taken for the translation. After answering the first question, and while it was being translated into Chinese, he is seen pointing to his penis and asking out loud: "Do you want to suck that? Do you want to come and suck on that later?" He then laughs and says: "Anyone want to give me a nosh? Suck my dick."

O'Sullivan then answered two questions about the match - a 5-4 defeat against Marco Fu - before asking an official: "Fuck me, how many more questions are they going to ask?" The reply comes back, "one more." While it is being asked, O'Sullivan refers to the size and shape of his penis.

The 32-year-old must now await for the view from the WPBSA, whose company secretary, Elaine Eyers, will watch the tape and decide whether to report him to the disciplinary committee.

In December 2006, he received the personal backing of Sir Rodney Walker, the WPBSA chairman, after walking out of his UK Championship quarter-final against Stephen Hendry at York in the sixth frame when he was trailing 4-1. He was eventually fined £21,000 despite evidence from doctors attesting to his fragile mental state.

O'Sullivan, the world champion in 2001 and 2004, is no stranger to controversy. He assaulted a tournament official at the 1996 world championship and was stripped of the 1998 Irish Masters title after failing a drugs test.

Against Fu, he was slapdash in attempting two difficult blues in the decider, the latter of which left the Hong Kong player with a simple pot for the match.

O'Sullivan has been treated for depression and is known to have a low boredom threshold. He once stated he did not like travelling to China because "they don't speak English." He has, though, become more enthusiastic about the country since signing a six-figure advertising deal with a Chinese watch company last year.