Alexandra Palace and World Snooker Tour chiefs have spoken out following Ronnie O’Sullivan’s scathing comments on The Masters venue. The Rocket is gearing up for a crunch semi-final against Shaun Murphy on Saturday as he bids to win his first Masters title since 2017.
O’Sullivan defeated Ding Junhui 6-3 to get his tournament bid underway and followed up his victory over the Chinese player by beating Barry Hawkins by the same scoreline on Thursday.
Afterwards, self-professed ‘clean freak’ O’Sullivan slammed the conditions at the Ally Pally, which also hosts the World Darts Championship, the Mosconi Cup and table tennis events. “I just don’t like this place to be honest with you, I just find it disgusting,” he said.
“Everywhere’s just dirty, it’s cold, I’m freezing. I have to sit here in my coat. Everywhere you go, you’re going through car parks, it’s bins. I don’t know if you’ve seen over there [media catering area] there’s leftover food and stuff and it makes me feel ill to be honest with you.
“I’m a bit of a clean freak. Coming here gives me the heebie jeebies and I can’t wait to get out of here to be honest. I’m sorry, that’s just how I feel.”
An Alexandra Palace spokesperson has responded to the seven-time world champion’s startling rant, admitting that organisers for the venue have been left ‘disappointed’ by the criticism. “We love hosting the Masters and welcoming all the players and fans to the Palace,” the statement began.
“We work alongside Alexandra Palace to provide the best possible conditions for players on and off the table,” it read. “All other players have spoken with unanimous positivity about the venue.
“Fans love coming here. This is underlined by record ticket sales and the fact that all standard admission seats sold out ahead of this year’s tournament.”
