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