Barry Hearn has slammed Ronnie O'Sullivan after the snooker legend chose to criticise the state of the sport last month - a matter of weeks before the start of the World Championship.
O'Sullivan, 47, claimed the state of snooker is as bad as it has ever been and needs major investment to get it back to where it needs to be. The seven-time world champion also urged players to go on strike over the potential prize money.
"Listen, snooker is in a bad place. It's in trouble," O'Sullivan said. "This needs at least another £50 million a year just to make it a proper tour. When you look at the number, it’s bad. When you look at £10million prize money for 25 events across the year for 128 players, it’s never going to be good. It needs at least to triple that to make it work.
"You look at the people actually managing the game, they are not the brightest sparks either. So you can't see them digging themselves out of it. But you don't have to be Einstein. It is probably in the worst place it has ever been. The image of the sport, it's a bit like a pub sport now."
However, Matchroom president Hearn has hit back at O'Sullivan and believes he was "bang out of order" for openly criticising a sport he has had so much success in over the years.
"Ronnie is bang out of order saying snooker's in the worst place it's ever been," Hearn told Eurosport. "I never heard such a ludicrous statement in my life.
"It frustrated me. It's typical Ronnie trying to get on the front pages and say something which is nonsensical but journalists will report on it. Have a look at some other sports, we are right up there at the pecking order.
"We could have done with the China announcement a month earlier and we wouldn’t be having this conversation but at the end of the day there is a business world and a sporting world. One of the reasons why my partnership with Steve Davis was so successful over the years was he potted balls and I did the business.
"I couldn’t pot balls and I wouldn’t have the audacity to even comment on how to pot balls, and yet that respect is not repaid by certain people who do pot balls. They think they know the answer but they are not prepared to do anything about it to contribute in a working environment way where they could be a massive asset."
