Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Ronnie OSullivan, Snooker
Ryan Smart
Ronnie O'Sullivan has made his feelings clear on Stephen Lee potentially returning to the World Snooker Tour as he launches a brand-new snooker channel.
O'Sullivan is a key backer behind the launch of PlutoTV's new dedicated snooker channel, Pluto Snooker 900.
Snooker 900, set up in 2022 by Jason Francis, is a 15-minute, one-frame format that features a 20-second shot clock and a blue-ball shootout in the event of a tie. It is primarily aimed at amateur players.
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Alongside O'Sullivan, fellow snooker legends Jimmy White and Ken Doherty will also be involved in the launch week of the new channel.
O'Sullivan will be the only member of the 'Class of 92' involved - with a lesser-known member of that group still yet to make a comeback to the main tour.
Stephen Lee also turned professional in 1992 and was regularly in snooker's top 16 until 2013, when he was found guilty of influencing the outcome of seven snooker matches that took place between 2008 and 2009, and of 'accepting payment to influence the outcome of a match' on seven occasions.
His ban expired on his 50th birthday in October 2024, and footage uploaded to YouTube earlier this year showed him competing in a six-red exhibition match against Thailand's James Wattana.
There remain a number of obstacles blocking Lee's potential return - not least the fact that his last competitive match was in 2012.
The World Pool, Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), who organise and sanction all World Snooker Tour events, confirmed in August that Lee was yet to pay legal costs relating to the match-fixing case and unsuccessful appeals.
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Should he repay those costs and become eligible to play, he would need to qualify through UK Q-School in order to return to the main tour.
There is also the question of Lee's willingness to make a full comeback, with the 50-year-old not making any official comment on his future since his ban expired.
Lee said in 2022 (via the Daily Mirror): "I would like to say no, but I am still capable of playing. Let's see what happens in two years. It's not a no, and not a yes ... my eyes are getting worse, and I never had good eyes to start with. As you get older, the determination and the fire goes."
He faced O'Sullivan on a number of occasions throughout his career, losing 9-2 to 'The Rocket' in the final of the 1999 China Open.
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They last faced each other in 2012 at the German Open.
Speaking to SPORTbible ahead of the launch of PlutoTV's new dedicated snooker channel, O'Sullivan gave his assessment of whether Lee could make a successful comeback if he chose to.
"Yeah, I think he could compete," O'Sullivan said. "I've watched some of the YouTube videos of him.
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"He's a great cueist. How far he'd get up the rankings, I just don't know. But yeah, I think he's fresh, put it that way. He'll be eager to play, I think."
He is not the only player to speak out on Lee's potential comeback, with John Higgins stating in October that he would welcome the Wiltshire-born cueist back 'with open arms'.
Pluto Snooker 900, a brand-new snooker channel, launches exclusively on Pluto TV – the ad-supported free streaming service that features a wide variety of content - on Monday 6th October. The launch week will feature snooker legends like Jimmy White, Ken Doherty, and Michaela Tabb, marking a landmark moment for cue sports broadcasting. The channel, as in the original version, will also highlight games between women, juniors, and disabled players. You can find out more details, including how to sign up, by clicking the link here.