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Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Ronnie OSullivan, Snooker
Ryan Smart
Ronnie O'Sullivan has made his feelings clear on Stephen Lee potentially returning to professional snooker after serving a 12-year ban for match fixing.
Lee, who was found guilty of influencing the outcome of seven matches between 2008 and 2009 in October 2013, saw his backdated ban end on his 50th birthday last year.
Last week, footage emerged of the five-time ranking event winner competing in a six-red exhibition match against James Wattana in Thailand.
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Though it was only a three-frame match, it was clear that Lee still retained some of the flair and potting ability that saw him rise to a high world ranking of five during his professional career.
The issue surrounding match-fixing has been a hot topic in snooker over recent years, with a number of previously suspended players returning to the sport.
In June 2023, nine Chinese players were found guilty of fixing matches - not including current world champion Zhao Xintong, who was guilty of the lesser charge of being a party to another player fixing two matches (being aware of a match being fixed) and betting on matches.
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Out of those players, Chang Bingyu has returned to the World Snooker Tour this season.
And fellow Chinese player Cao Yupeng served a match-fixing ban between 2018 and 2020, and is now back on the tour.
Lee's case stands out differently for two reasons, with the severity of his ban and the fact that, as per SnookerHQ as of October 2024, he would need to pay legal costs to the WPBSA before an attempt to return to the professional tour.
Whether he even decides to make that attempt, at the age of 50, is another matter, with Lee having not entered Q-School ahead of the 2025/26 season.
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Various players have spoken about Lee's ban and potential return to the World Snooker Tour, including seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The pair faced off in a ranking event final at the 1999 China Open, with 'The Rocket' winning 9-2.
Speaking on the 'Disruptors' podcast in 2021, O'Sullivan related Lee's case to that of more modern bans: "After the Stephen Lee thing, I think they [World Snooker] sent out a strong message that anyone who does mess about and get caught, basically your career's over.
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"Most snooker players, they love the game and they want to win. But unless you know someone's personal circumstances and what their predicament is - and I do know, I know a lot of these players, and they're struggling financially. It's not easy.
"So I never feel like... don't judge unless you've walked in that guy's shoes. I feel a bit sorry for these players, but it is what it is, they sign up to play and they know what they're letting themselves in for."