Ronnie O'Sullivan dreams of game without rivals he 'detests'

Ronnie O'Sullivan has revealed he "detests" some of his rival players and would love to stage his own tournament without them.

The three-time world champion today suggested setting up a new event in China, where there is a huge market for the sport, and inviting the most exciting players in the game to take part.

With his affection for snooker back following sessions with sports psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters, O'Sullivan explained why he would love to play a more active role, on the condition he could pick and choose his own tournament line-up.

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The 35-year-old, who reached the World Championship quarter-finals this year, highlighted attack-minded Crucible runner-up Judd Trump as a player with the right attitude.

O'Sullivan wrote on Twitter: "Snooker needs him bad.. There are a lot of uninteresting players on the circuit who could kill the game .. Don't ask me to mention names. I would love to set up my own team of players and have a proper tournament I promise it would be a winner..

"Maybe China would be the place to do this??? I know all the players i would invite would come and play... It would have all the right ingredients to make everyone buzz... The bores have to go.. We are in the entertainment business.. :)

"You play to WIN... rather then playing not to lose... I detest those players.. There (sic) not winners.. I better shut up now:)"

He added: "Political correctness is not my strong point.."

Some of O'Sullivan's remarks broadly correspond with the way snooker chiefs want the sport to go, in terms of offering greater entertainment and more personalities, but his explicit criticism of pedestrian players adds controversy.

O'Sullivan was left frustrated when Peter Ebdon fought back from 8-2 behind to beat him 13-11 at the 2005 World Championship, playing an attritional game which drew criticism from former Crucible winners Ken Doherty and Peter Ebdon.

O'Sullivan suggested, not for the first or last time, that he could take time away from the game after that defeat, and said of Ebdon: "He's got a wife and four kids to feed, so I can't criticise him. He's there to stop me playing."

O'Sullivan has a catalogue of trouble behind him. He was fined 20,000 for headbutting a tournament official at the 1996 World Championship, and tested positive for marijuana after winning the Irish Masters two years later. O'Sullivan launched a verbal attack against Stephen Hendry at the 2002 World Championship, suggesting he would tell the Scot "go back to your sad little life" if he gloated about winning their semi-final.

He was also penalised for making lewd suggestions to a journalist during a press conference at the 2008 China Open.