Ronnie O’Sullivan insists Shaun Murphy should ‘look for another job’ after his rant on amateurs

Ronnie O’Sullivan has hit out at Shaun Murphy and mentioned he should look for another job outdoors snooker or play the game for enjoyable after the 39-year-old railed in opposition to amateurs being allowed to play in skilled tournaments.

World No 6 Murphy made the headlines on Wednesday after a unprecedented rant following his first-round elimination on the UK Championship by 19-year-old newbie Si Jiahui.

The World Snooker tour have allowed gamers like Si to enter the UK Championship through the ‘top-up’ system, whereby if 128 professionals should not out there then amateurs can fill the slots. The similar system is utilized in different tournaments too. 

Ronnie O’Sullivan (left) has instructed Shaun Murphy (proper) to ‘look for another job’ after his rant on amateurs being allowed to play in skilled tournaments

Murphy argued that this creates an unfair benefit as amateurs are ‘not enjoying with the identical pressures’, which noticed a lot of snooker’s prime stars again Murphy – however O’Sullivan didn’t agree with the feedback.

‘They higher begin wanting for a job if they do not prefer it,’ six-time world champion O’Sullivan mentioned.

‘I drew a line beneath it a very long time in the past. I can change what I do, that is what I’m saying to Murphy – go and get a job, do one thing else, play snooker for enjoyable as a result of you are going to have hundreds extra of that.

‘Five or six years in the past I made an actual acutely aware effort to play for enjoyable and simply get pleasure from it… 

‘If I needed to play it as my dwelling, I’d be like Shaun Murphy – in bits. You’ll by no means hear me speak like that as a result of it is a pastime, however when it means one thing to you then it may damage.’

The 19-year-old Si Jiahui earned a memorable win over former world champion Murphy

But whereas O’Sullivan has taken the route of not seeing it as a dwelling, reigning world champion and No 1-ranked participant Mark Selby insists amateurs should not get an automated bye and should earn their spot.

‘I feel numerous gamers agree with him,’ the four-time world champion instructed BBC Sport. ‘Because [Shaun] mentioned it after he misplaced, individuals in all probability suppose it’s bitter grapes and he would not have mentioned it if he had received – however I completely stand by every part he mentioned.

Mark Selby threw his weight behind Murphy

‘There’s a purpose there’s a Q [qualifying] School to attempt to get on [the professional tour], and if you do not get on, you should have to attend another yr and play within the newbie occasions.’

Three-time world champion Mark Williams additionally agrees with Murphy. 

He instructed BBC Sport: ‘I texted [Jason] Ferguson [World Snooker chairman] the opposite day saying: “If you are going to have top-ups then stop the top-ups having every tournament”. How is that honest? There is not any stress and they’re free rolling.’

After his defeat, Murphy angrily instructed BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I really feel extraordinarily laborious carried out by that I’ve misplaced to somebody who should not even be within the constructing.

‘I do not know why we as a sport permit amateurs to compete in skilled tournaments. This is our livelihood. This is our dwelling. We are self-employed people and never contracted sportsmen. We do not play for a crew.  

O’Sullivan, gunning for his eighth UK championship title, beat newbie Michael White 6-3 to succeed in the second spherical.