Ronnie O’Sullivan rages at iconic Ally Pally as he claims ‘disgusting, dirty and cold’ venue ‘makes you feel ill’
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN let rip at the “disgusting” state of Ally Pally — claiming the venue is dirty, cold and damp.
The Rocket beat Barry Hawkins 6-3 to reach a 15th Masters semi-final and first in five years.
GettyRonnie O’Sullivan went on a scathing attack on Ally Pally[/caption]
GettyThe indoor arena in London was where Luke Littler enjoyed his magical run to the PDC darts final[/caption]
And the world No 1 then launched an attack on the conditions of the green rooms and facilities used by players between frames.
Wrapping up in a black coat to speak, O’Sullivan, 48, said: “I just don’t like this place, I find it disgusting.
“Everywhere is dirty, cold, I’m freezing. I have to sit here in my coat.
“Everywhere you go, you’re going through car parks, there are bins.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen up there, there’s food and stuff and it makes me feel ill to be honest with you.
“I’m a clean freak. When I come here, it gives me the heebie-jeebies and I can’t wait to get out of here. I’m sorry, that’s just how I feel.”
O’Sullivan’s comments are reminiscent of how he described the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley — once the venue for the English Open — back in 2018.
He called it a “hellhole” which “smelt of urine” and claimed it was unacceptable for a top sporting event.
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The Masters has been held at Alexandra Palace since 2012 and the crowds of more than 2,000 for each session are snooker’s biggest for any UK event.
The Grade II-listed Victorian building in North London, which first opened in 1875, regularly hosts sports events and music concerts.
That includes the annual PDC World Darts Championship – and was the site of 16-year-old Luke Littler’s mesmeric run to the final just over a week ago.
Yet O’Sullivan – who avoided the infamous Ally Pally wasp – continued: “I like my comforts. This isn’t the type of place I look forward to coming to.
“The crowds are great and they do a great job with that. But for everything else, go and look around. And maybe you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
A World Snooker Tour spokesperson said: “We work with Alexandra Palace to provide the best possible conditions for players.
“All other players have spoken with unanimous positivity about the venue. Fans love coming here.
“This is underlined by record ticket sales and all standard admission seats sold out ahead of the event.”
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An Alexandra Palace spokesperson added: “We work tirelessly to provide an arena and atmosphere this great event deserves.
“We’ve been proud of the overwhelming positive feedback the venue has received and it’s disappointing that Ronnie feels differently.”
O’Sullivan, battling a cold since before Christmas, returns tomorrow for a last-four clash in front of the BBC TV cameras against Shaun Murphy, who eliminated Jack Lisowski 6-3 on Thursday evening.
The seven-time Masters champ went off for a curry and then headed to a luxury spa to “spend the whole day in my robe”.
His contest with The Hawk was a scrappy one with no century breaks – and a very uncharacteristic blunder from the Essex potter.
Ronnie admitted: “That’s the most awful standard of snooker. I said to Barry at the end, ‘Sorry, mate’.
“I just dragged him down to my level. I’m lucky to get through.”
And Hawkins, who lost for the 18th time in the pair’s 21 meetings, said: “It feels like it slipped away.
“For some reason, your mind wanders when you play Ronnie. I let him off the hook. I had some chances.”
No 1 seed Judd Trump today plays Ali Carter in a best-of-11 frames quarter-final. In the evening Mark Selby faces Mark Allen.
GettyThe Grade II-listed Victorian building crams in crowds of more than 2,000 for The Masters[/caption]
PAO’Sullivan admitted he was lucky to get through after a poor performance[/caption]
GettyHe claimed conditions behind the scenes were not up to scratch[/caption]
