Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says snooker’s governing body asked him “to consider” his future in the sport in a recent letter.
He has also threatened to quit snooker over the row.
The WST has been asked to respond to O’Sullivan’s latest comments.
“The letter they’ve sent me has not been very nice,” the Englishman said.
“I think I’ve done a lot of good for this game. I’d expect someone to come out and say, ‘you know what, we think you’ve done great for the game, we love what you give’.
“I never get a ‘well done’ letter. All I get is a letter saying I’ve done this and that wrong. I’ve not spoken to anyone at World Snooker for 10 years and I won’t ever reach out to them again because I know the culture is not for me.”
Disciplinary action against the five players – current world champion Luca Brecel, four-time world champions John Higgins and Mark Selby, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter – was averted when the event in Macau, a special administrative region of China, was moved to December, with WST permission.
Current world number one O’Sullivan backed the players in their dispute with the WST in October.
More recently, Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen said he was hoping for a “peaceful resolution” to contract concerns when he and other players meet with snooker bosses during the UK Championship.
Specially organised events in East Asia are a lucrative proposition for stars such as O’Sullivan, who can attract large crowds whenever they play, and he believes that contracts to play on the main professional tour should offer more flexibility to allow that to happen.
“Sharing a slice of cake with 130 players [on the main tour] is difficult,” O’Sullivan said.
“When I go to China, they are paying me 10 to 15 times the amount I can get to play here. At this stage of my career, I have to think of what is right for my family. I want them to have a comfortable life.”
