Ronnie O’Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei will locks horns in the World Snooker Championships – and there has already been some bad blood between the pair. In an eagerly-anticipated fixture at the Crucible this afternoon, the duo will meet for the first time since Vafaei called on O’Sullivan to retire, stating he was “not good for the game” and “sometimes disrespectful” with his comments about other players.
Elaborating on his comments, Vafaei – ranked No 23 in the world – spoke of his determination ahead of the match, insisting he has nothing to lose. Adding fuel to the fire, he said:” He’s such a nice person when he’s sleeping, you know? You know what I mean.”
He continued: “It’s going to be a great match for the people. I think every sport needs to have some people like us. I don’t have anything to lose. If he beats me for example 13-0 it’s still the start of my career. I don’t fear him.
“If I beat my hero, [who] used to be my hero, I’m going to be dangerous for the tournament. I’m not going to disrespect all the players because I’ve seen so many players playing well as well, [but] it’s going to be great if I go to the final.”
When reminded of Vafaei’s comments following his victory against Pang Junxu on Sunday, O’Sullivan told Eurosport: “Has he been saying much about me this year?
“I think he’s learned to be quiet. Don’t rattle my cage. I love it when they call me out, I love it when they give me stick. I just love it. It turns me on. I get off on it. I need something to find so I’m hoping someone says something and hopefully I get better so I can have a reason to perform.”
Mark Williams also weighed in on the ongoing spat between the pair. The Welshman laughed as he listened to Vafaei’s comments on a phone in the Eurosport studio, as he questioned: “Why would you wind him up?”
He concluded: “He will probably win with a session to spare now. He said he used to be his friend, but he said, ‘Yeah, not any more.’ Nice! He is blaming him now for disrespecting his family!”
O’Sullivan is bidding for a record eighth World Snooker Championship title and, if Vafaei’s comments are anything to go by, the Iranian will be doing all he can to make sure that doesn’t happen.
The Rocket equalled Stephen Hendry’s haul of seven championships in the modern era when he beat Judd Trump 18-13 in the 2022 final. The 47-year-old also tasted success in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2020.
The Englishman, currently sitting 23rd on the one-year ranking list, has not enjoyed a vintage season, reaching just two ranking quarter-finals – the UK Championship and the Welsh Open.
Vafaei and O’Sullivan’s best-of-25 contest at the Crucible starts at 2pm today.
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