O'Sullivan makes fresh snooker fixing claims

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has said he turned down an offer of £20,000 ($32,000) to fix a Premier League snooker match. The 37-year-old, five times champion of the world, wrote in his autobiography he was approached during a brief meeting in Epping Forest, Essex, east of London 10 years ago. Nigel Mawer, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's (WPBSA) disciplinary committee, told the BBC: "We are aware of what has been said in the book and will be writing to Ronnie O'Sullivan to ask him to explain his comments." O'Sullivan wrote: "Someone rang me and said he'd like to meet me over in the forest and have a walk through the woods. I knew the fella, and it was someone you don't want to mess around with. "What they were offering me, 20 grand, I could get for a couple of nights' work." O'Sullivan's fellow English snooker player Stephen Lee, the former world number five, was banned last month for 12 years for seven match-fixing offences but is to appeal against his suspension. Last month, following Lee's ban, O'Sullivan told his Twitter followers: "I've heard there's many more players who throw snooker matches .. I suppose Steve lee was just caught out." He added "plenty of people have got loads to hide". However O'Sullivan back-tracked after World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn warned he must not make "vague announcements" and risked disciplinary action. In response, O'Sullivan said: "My reference to players throwing matches was out of context in that I was referring back to rumours from many years ago when there were only a few tournaments on the circuit. "If I were aware of match-fixing, I understand that it would be up to me to report any fears to the association. "I have no intention of undermining the integrity of the sport that I love and enjoy participating in so much and firmly believe that my tweets were taken out of context." Source:AFP