Rocket hit in the pocket over Twitter comments

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been fined £6,000 by snooker’s ruling body for a series of Twitter comments that included his claim that match-fixing could be rife.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been fined £6,000 by snooker’s ruling body for a series of that included his claim that match-fixing could be rife.

The reigning world champion, who landed his fifth Masters title on Sunday night at Alexandra Palace, was charged with breaching the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association’s members rules.

The WPBSA announced that its disciplinary committee assessed the claim – later retracted – from O’Sullivan last September that referred to fixing, a “suggestion he used pills that helped his performance”, and a further “offensive” tweet.

In a statement, the WPBSA said: “He was fined a total of £6,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 towards the cost of the hearing. The WPBSA disciplinary committee considered that the comments that were made undermined these efforts and were damaging to the image of the sport. Such behaviour will not be tolerated by the WPBSA.”

Additionally, the WPBSA said O’Sullivan has been fined £1,000 and warned as to his future behaviour for being “abusive, insulting and disrespectful” to a referee during the German Masters qualifying tournament in Barnsley on December 12.