Ronnie O'Sullivan has slammed Snooker bosses and is siding with five players amid a mutiny in the sport.
Mark Selby, John Higgins, Luca Brecel, Ali Carter and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh have decided to snub this month's official Northern Ireland Open.
The World Snooker Tour has threatened legal action against the quintet, with the stars opting to play in a lucrative Macau exhibition instead.
WST bosses have sent both emails and strongly-worded letters claiming the five players would be breaching contracts if they played in China.
Mark Selby is among five snooker players snubbing the upcoming Northern Ireland Open
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Per the Daily Mail, they also told Selby, Higgins, Brecel, Carter and Un-Nooh they'd be harming the game.
Yet O'Sullivan is unhappy with their stance and said it was 'b******s' - while also accusing them of 'trying to scare' players.
The lawyers of the quintet currently angering snooker chiefs think the threats from the WST are 'baseless'.
That's because they didn't enter the Northern Ireland event and believe 'they are just doing what they want on their own time'.
It's also claimed many of the players are 'furious' over what they perceive to be 'heavy-handed tactics'.
Selby has reportedly requested he receive no further correspondence on the matter.
And the WST are also unhappy with O'Sullivan, along with Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Jack Lisowski and Ding Junhui, for agreeing to play at a special event in Shanghai this month.
The Shanghai exhibition is due to take place during the Northern Ireland Open qualifying event.
And WST chiefs fear that, due to the big names taking part, it will 'leave the qualifiers in the shade'.
They had originally banned players from taking part.
However, following a strong backlash, they then performed a U-turn on their stance instead.
The governing body is now facing a tough time - having hoped for a 'smoother ride' this season.
That's because Chinese tournaments are back in the calendar for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic over three years ago.
But with players eager to cash in after those years of reduced earnings, they're facing a fight to keep the situation under control.
There has even been talk of a potential boycott of January's Masters as tensions rise.
O'Sullivan has long made it clear he's unhappy at the way the schedule is currently organised.
And, in previous years, he's even suggested the possibility of a breakaway tour.
O'Sullivan made his feelings on the competition in Shanghai clear by saying: "There is absolutely no reason to try and stop me and other players going to Shanghai during the Northern Ireland qualifiers. That is a small event, we are not involved, and we could still play in the final stages with our matches being held over.
"Players are just trying to earn money, it is their choice. And they are realising their value.
"They are trying to restrict us. Those involved in Shanghai were sent letters advising them not to play.
"I know for the tournament in Macau players were also sent even stronger threatening letters telling them it was in breach of their contract.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has made his feelings on the WST clear
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"That with an opportunity to play in an official tournament they were turning it down and choosing to go somewhere else, and it was damaging for the sport.
"It is b*ll*cks, trying to scare players like that. It's wrong and I am glad they have taken a strong stance.
"This is about players being able to earn what they can, and choose how and when they play. They can enter a tournament – but they don't have to.
"They used to try and tell me what to say, until I got a really good lawyer who kicked back at them.
"If they want to play silly games, we can all play silly games."
