Hossein Vafaei told by Jimmy White to ‘do talking on the table’ after comments about Ronnie O’Sullivan

“He’s obviously not happy with O’Sullivan,” White told Eurosport. “I don’t think O’Sullivan will rise to it. I think he just focus on his game but there seems to be a bit of needle there for sure.

“I think he’s too professional, is Ronnie. He will just get on with his job. I don’t think there’s any animosity between Ronnie and Hossein, I think it’s just red tops talking.

“I don’t think [O’Sullivan] will use any of this press or this sort of banter in any way, shape or form.

“If Hossein thinks it can help him, then so be it, but it could reverse on Hossein. So, I’d rather him just do his talking on the table. It’s all nonsense to me.”

Vafaei said O’Sullivan is “such a nice person when he is asleep” and that the seven-time world champion is no longer his hero.

Eurosport expert and former Masters champion Alan McManus says he was slightly “bewildered” by Vafaei’s post-match comments on Monday and suggested something may have gone on in the background.

“I’m thinking back to a few years ago when I think Hossein was spending a lot of time in the south,” explained McManus.

“I think Ronnie sort of took him under his wing, not in a big way, but he was friendly with him – Ronnie’s friendly with pretty much everyone on the circuit as far as I’ve ever seen and maybe that’s changed.

“It’s only guess work on my part. It’s a very strange situation. Let’s be honest though, it’s going to be good isn’t it! It’s going to be brilliant viewing and there’s a lot more to this match than the best-of-25 frames – the handshake is going to be interesting at the start.

“As a snooker player, you’re out there on your own. “You’re a one-man band. It’s alright being friends, or not being friends, but you’ve got to shake it off.

“You’ve can’t live on the words of any opponent, you’ve just got to shake it off and say, ‘he can say what he likes’. It’s a strange one, there’s going to be fireworks.”

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