'He should retire!' - Ronnie O’Sullivan v Hossein Vafaei war of words: How grudge match unfolded
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Updated 21/04/2023 at 08:17 GMT
Ronnie O’Sullivan will continue his quest for a record eighth World Championship title against Hossein Vafaei on Friday – but the main talking point is the pair’s spiky rivalry after two astonishing interviews in three days. The pair will meet in the second round across three sessions, with a place in the quarter-finals on the line. So what has been said in their remarkable war of words?
Vafaei wants to 'shut' O'Sullivan's mouth as he flames rivalry
Hossein Vafaei has fanned the flames ahead of his match with Ronnie O’Sullivan at the World Championship in Sheffield, with the Iranian star saying he wants to “shut” the seven-time champion’s mouth in an astonishing interview.
Vafaei will play his hero-turned-foe in the second round at the Crucible after beating Ding Junhui 10-6 on Monday, a day after defending champion O’Sullivan saw off Pang Junxu. despite being unwell.
The match will be extra awkward as the tournament is still in the two-table format, meaning the players’ chairs are directly next to each other. Will they share a pre-match handshake? Or avoid each other throughout?
With the match set to attract significant attention given the build-up, we take a look at their war of words from the past year. But firstly, an important question…
When is Ronnie O’Sullivan v Hossein Vafaei at World Snooker Championship?
The World Championship second round match between O’Sullivan and Vafaei begins on Friday April 21 at 14:30 BST, with two further sessions on Saturday (14:30) and Sunday (10:00).
The match will be available to enjoy on Eurosport. You can live stream the match, and the rest of the tournament, on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com.
Anyway, let's remind ourselves what has been said between the pair...
April 14, 2022: Vafaei urges O’Sullivan to retire
After becoming the first Iranian player to qualify for the World Championship last year, Vafaei used his platform to take aim at the sport’s most famous face.
In an explosive interview, Vafaei said O’Sullivan was “disrespectful” to snooker and urged The Rocket to retire, highlighting his tongue-in-cheek “numpties” rant. O’Sullivan called for a “numpty free zone” so he could focus on his matches during an interview with Eurosport’s digital channels in 2017.
"A lot of things he says frustrates me. What kind of legend are you if you call people numpties?" Vafaei said in April last year.
"I was and am still good friends with him, but I don’t like that. Maybe he likes it and gives him a good feeling, but I think people should treat him like that as well. I treat him like he deserves.
"I don’t want to get involved in that kind of conversation really. I like him a lot, I am his fan, I love what he does but sometimes he’s disrespectful, he’s not good for the game."
He added: "I think he should retire, to be honest with you. He should retire and then the younger generation make the game bigger," he said.
"I don’t see any improvement, he’s been 20 years on top of this sport and what has he done for us? This is my biggest question: What has he done for us?"
April 15, 2023: ‘Don’t rattle my cage’ – O’Sullivan hits back, one year later
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‘Don’t rattle my cage’ – O’Sullivan warns rivals he ‘loves it’ when he’s criticised
A year and a day after Vafaei’s explosive remarks, O’Sullivan warned his rival to not “rattle my cage” as a potential showdown at the Crucible loomed.
When reminded in the Eurosport studio that he could face Vafaei in the second round, O’Sullivan responded: “What did he say about me, I can’t remember?”
Eurosport expert Alan McManus responded: “I think he said you should retire.”
O’Sullivan replied: “Has he been saying much about me this year? I think he’s learned to be quiet.
“Don’t rattle my cage. I love it when they call me out, I love it when they give me stick. I just love it.
“It turns me on. I get off on it. I need something to find so I’m hoping someone says something and hopefully I get better so I can have a reason to perform.
“They are not going to say anything now are they because they probably realised it’s not a good tactic to play. We’ll see, but we’ll have some fun.”
April 17, 2023: 'He is such a nice person when he is asleep'
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‘A dangerous game’ – McManus and White react to Vafaei’s broadside on O’Sullivan
Two days later, it became apparent Vafaei had not learned to be quiet. The 28-year-old launched into an extraordinary attack, directly calling out the world No. 1 by name, after setting up a must-see showdown.
“The Crucible is going to be my home,” began Vafaei in his post-match interview with Rachel Casey.
“I have to play like that and show a performance like that to show the people and shut some people’s mouths. And to show them what I can do.
“This is just the beginning. My best has not come out yet. If my ‘A’ game comes out, I am definitely going to do some damage.”
Asked to clarify whose mouth he was trying to shut, Vafaei was resolute.
“Ronnie O’Sullivan,” he said.
Vafaei appeared to reference - and take exception to - O’Sullivan's "don't rattle my cage" remarks.
“I was quiet and I was respecting him,” he continued. “But I saw so many people sending some interview or something like that.
"He is what he is. He is such a nice person when he is asleep."
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