Ronnie O’Sullivan breaks silence on snooker match-fixing scandal after Masters victory | Other | Sport

But the tournament has been tainted by the absence of Chinese players Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao, who are among 10 players involved from their country suspended amid World Snooker’s match-fixing investigation, following allegations of ‘manipulating the outcome of matches for betting purposes’.

O’Sullivan, 47, had initially stayed silent on the scandal, in contrast to the likes of Shaun Murphy who has called for anyone found guilty to be removed from the sport. And after his win at the Alexandra Palace, he urged caution about jumping to conclusions  – and insisted the sport can survive even if the worst happens with multiple convictions and bans handed out.

“I don’t know what’s going on if I’m honest,” he said. “I can’t really say because I don’t know. But before you start criticising the guys involved you have to put yourself in other people’s shoes.”

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