Ronnie O'Sullivan goes on rant about snooker refs as controversial rule questioned

Snooker icon Ronnie O'Sullivan has criticised the level of refereeing in the sport, stating: "They're overtrained."

The world No.5 has yet to confirm his participation in the upcoming World Snooker Championship but has managed to grab the headlines by claiming that the officials must spend more time in the background before the action gets underway at the Crucible.

His comments come on the heels of his friend Jimmy White's run-in with the controversial three-miss rule during qualifying.

As the anticipation builds for the World Championship, commencing in Sheffield on April 19 with Kyren Wilson aiming to be the first player to defend his title since 1977, O'Sullivan offered some potent remarks on a TNT Sports podcast about the current standard of refereeing.

"I think they're overtrained," he said on the podcast. "Just get the ball out and stand still. I don't care if you're in my eyeline. In the snooker clubs you have fruit machines going and people arguing; you just get used to it.

"If they stood in front of my eyeline it wouldn't make any difference, but now they have to place the ball to get round the back of your shoulder, and I've been in matches where I've said to the ref, 'You're in my way.'

"I've been making a 50-60 break, and I've had to tell him every time I potted a ball to stop because he was still moving and was breaking my rhythm.

"I'd rather you just stood right in front of me. I don't care. But he couldn't get his head around it. But after about 10 shots, he kind of got it."

White hit the headlines after he failed to hit an open red in three attempts during his match against Ukraine's Anton Kazakov, resulting in him conceding a frame.

Despite this setback, the 62-year-old staged a remarkable comeback, overcoming a 7-3 deficit to win 10-9 in a match that concluded at 1:20am.

O'Sullivan expressed his frustration with the miss rule, and criticised the referees for being overly pedantic in ensuring that every ball is precisely in its correct position, thereby slowing down the game.

O'Sullivan stated: "I also think the miss rule, they're trying to get every ball back perfectly, who really cares? Is it really going to make any difference? It takes time. As long as he can't pot it and doesn't gain a massive advantage, he's going to play the same shot. Does it really matter? I find that all a bit frustrating really."