Ronnie O’Sullivan reveals how snooker players are ‘pampered’ with lavish banquets and chauffeurs in Saudi Arabia before claiming fans were ‘too quick’ to judge the Riyadh Season ball

Ronnie O’Sullivan says Saudi Arabia’s involvement in snooker has made his life easier and claims fans were ‘too quick’ to judge after the seasonal ball was introduced in Riyadh last month.

O’Sullivan – who has signed a new three-year ambassadorial deal with Riyadh Season – told Mail Sport about the way players are ‘spoiled’ in Saudi Arabia.

He said players will be given access to additional practice tables, provided with banquet lunches and dinners and driven to and from events so they can concentrate on snooker.

O’Sullivan also said the introduction of the Riyadh Season ball at the inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters event last month has improved rather than hindered the game.

He felt that the fans were wrong when they criticized the concept when it first came out, because it gave the players the opportunity to make a life-changing amount of money without changing or compromising the traditional rules.

O’Sullivan spoke to Mail Sport after his ambassadorial deal was announced – which will see him compete in all World Snooker Tour events in Saudi Arabia and make special trips to the Kingdom to coach aspiring talent.

The conversation with Mail Sport also came after Riyadh Season agreed to become an official partner for snooker’s most prestigious tournament, the World Snooker Championship.

When speaking about the difference between the Saudi tournaments and those organized in other countries, O’Sullivan said: ‘I think the tournaments we travel to Asia and Saudi Arabia are different from the others.

‘Many more things are imposed on you. You don’t have to worry about food as there is a banquet for all the players and all the officials in the afternoon and evening.

‘You don’t have to spend time worrying or thinking about where you’re going to eat. Instead of maybe having four practice tables for 120 players, they’ll have twelve tables. So you can practice whenever you want. You can take your time. There is no rush as usual at these events.

‘They also use replacement cars to take you to and from events. You don’t really have to do anything other than play snooker.

‘Sometimes headaches [at other events] what am I going to eat, how am I going to get to the location. Once you get rid of all the headaches, it becomes a sort of ‘okay, I’ve just got to play snooker’. As a player that is the most important thing. I just want to play snooker.’

O’Sullivan – who has won a record 23 Triple Crown titles – continued: ‘I’ve always managed to concentrate solely on snooker, but it does make my life easier. Even if you put me in the worst environments, I have the ability to just turn on and play. Since I was a kid, this is all I’ve done. Play snooker.

‘I’m quite difficult. No matter what the circumstances are, I still find a way to get in there and play, but it shouldn’t be like that.

‘It has never really bothered or affected me, but if I had the choice I would choose to play somewhere where you are a bit more looked after. Somewhere you are pampered a little more. All players are pampered. Why not.’

Saudi Arabia hosted its first-ever WST event last month: the Riyadh Season World Masters. O’Sullivan was the star attraction, winning the first event, beating Luca Brecel 5–2 in the final.

The tournament also featured an innovative new concept, introducing a 23rd ball – called the Riyadh Season Ball – into a frame. The ball was worth 20 points, meaning there was a possibility of a maximum break of 167, instead of the traditional maximum of 147.

The first player to pocket the ball would earn around £400,000. However, no one managed to claim the prize. Therefore, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh decided to increase the incentive.

His Excellency announced that the prize for next year’s Golden Ball at the Riyadh Season World Masters had been doubled to $1 million (£800,000). Providing a life-changing amount of money for the players.

Asked what he thought of the initial reactions to the Riyadh season ball ahead of last month’s event, O’Sullivan said: ‘I don’t like people being quick to judge. I’m a very honest person and I think people know that. I’ll say what I think is right.

“I think as soon as you start messing with the rules of the game, you’re going to cause a problem. I don’t even know what the rules are, so if I’m out there thinking I don’t know what’s going on, that’s bad.

‘I’m also a bit of a purist at heart, but I understand that things have to evolve and change. You have to move with the times. So there is a combination with achieving that balance.

‘I don’t think you can tamper with the rules of the game and I actually liked that at Saudi. They said we’re not going to do that, but what we’re going to do is add a ball. It has no effect on the game.

“If someone is good enough to get a 167 and get that, there’s a huge bonus. So nothing really changes in the game, except that there is an extra ball that could be life-changing money for one of these players. I like that. It is well. I was on board with it. I liked it, yes.’

O’Sullivan said he was focused on winning the tournament last time, but admitted he might “put all his eggs in one basket” and focus on the Riyadh season ball next time.

O’Sullivan told Mail Sport: ‘The first time I met His Excellency was in Saudi Arabia. There was something important about the golden ball, but my main priority was winning the tournament.

‘When I realized how passionate he was about the golden ball, I could tell he was a little disappointed that no one got it and that he couldn’t give away the big prize. So he went and doubled it.

“So then next year I thought, maybe I’ll go there and just try to put all my eggs in one basket and give it a try. He has been great in all sports in Saudi Arabia and in snooker, so I thought I should say it earlier for His Excellency’s sake.”

O’Sullivan then praised HE Alalshikh for ‘providing opportunities to those who could be missed among all the top players’ and emphasized that there was room to develop world champions in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking about His Excellency’s involvement in snooker, O’Sullivan said: ‘He obviously loves sport and I think that’s what it’s all about.

‘You want someone who doesn’t just like the big names. You want someone who loves the sport and someone who can see the characters.

“His Excellency is invested in giving opportunities to those who may be missed among all the top players.

‘He’s the one who says: I actually quite like him, I can call him in to play, etc. I like that someone shows so much interest in the sport.’

O’Sullivan – who was awarded a snooker academy in Riyadh after winning the event in March – claims Saudi Arabia could be responsible for producing the sport’s future stars.

He says Britain has fallen far behind the likes of China in its academy system, but believes Saudi Arabia has what it takes to nurture talent if they join a ’20-year plan’.

O’Sullivan said: ‘The next generation is of paramount importance. I think Britain is lagging behind in that regard, which is a shame because we see China with the academies they have there. It’s like a Harvard snooker college in some ways.

“You just see so many great, talented players coming through the lineup. There are so many photos of me with six-year-old children and they come to me 15 years later, after I won the British Championship, and show me the photos of us together when they were six. I think wow.

‘There are so many. I took a photo with each of them, so it’s clear they have been interested in the sport for a long time. Ever since they were very young. That’s why you see so many great Chinese players.

‘I think you should do the same with Saudi. That’s what I’ll say to them. If you’re really serious about creating a generation of great players, it’s a 20-year plan.

‘The first ten years we might be one or two out, but later they will see. It’s a bit like Ding Junhui, they see him do it and that creates a bit of belief that they can do it. They start thinking, why can’t it be me?

‘I really enjoy that challenge, because I think it is possible, but it is an obligation. It is a commitment from everyone who goes there. It’s definitely something that will be worth it in the long run.”