Snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan has called on referees to change their position to stand closer to the action after Mark Selby profited from a referee error in his Northern Ireland Open match against Sam Craigie.
Selby was 2-1 ahead in the best of seven frames match when Craigie hit the white across the table slightly nudging the yellow ball in a successful safety shot. However, with referee Monika Sulkowska stood at the other end of the table behind the Englishman she called a no-hit and foul.
Replays showed that Craigie had completed the shot correctly but Selby still profited from the foul on his way to winning the second round match 4-2.
Seven-time world champion O'Sullivan would like to see referees stand closer. Talking on Eurosport, he said: "I think the referees are too concerned at getting behind you. We're so used to things and people getting in the way.
"As long as you stand still you can play with anything in front of you, as long as it's still and it's not moving then it's fine. I think the referees could probably be re-trained to keep up with the modern day player which is to just get the balls out the pockets quickly and get out the player's way maybe."
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Speaking after his victory four-time world champion Selby said he asked referee Sulkowska to check the footage after Craigie claimed to have hit the ball, but she refused.
"Sam said he hit it so I asked the referee if she could play it back she said 'no, as far as I'm concerned he didn't hit it'," said Selby talking to Eurosport after the match. The former world number one then watched the footage himself agreeing that the yellow was correctly hit.
He added: "That moves for me, one hundred per cent that moves. I said 'can you check?' But there was nothing done. That shows the sportsmanship in our sport Sam isn't going to say he thinks it's touch (the yellow) if it hasn't.
"We've seen there clear as day it did move."
In the debate around whether a video replay should have been used O'Sullivan added: "If it was a really important moment. But there it didn't make much difference, she's (the referee) made a mistake basically."
