As Ronnie O’Sullivan seized a 5-3 lead against Judd Trump in the World Championship final, he accused referee Olivier Marteel of itching for trouble.
The Belgian issued a formal warning to the world number one for making a gesture on the last frame of the session.
The subsequent quarrel overshadowed the conclusion of an engrossing first session.
O’Sullivan told Eurosport, “I get a connection with the man.” “It’s as though he’s simply searching for mischief to get into.”
O’Sullivan claimed that: “Hundreds of cameras are out in the open. Because I believe he’s attempting to construct something, I’m not going to go along with it.”
O’Sullivan challenged Marteel to check the video after he scolded him for making an obscene gesture, causing the official to rebuke him.
This event, which happened at the perfect time for Trump to win the frame, made him seem upset.
After a miss in the fourth set, O’Sullivan engaged the referee in a long discussion regarding the placement of the white and suggested that Marteel play the shot himself. O’Sullivan had previously complained about a security guard stepping into his field of sight during the third game.
The WPBSA disciplinary committee is already looking into allegations that the 46-year-old made a sexual gesture after missing a black in the 13th frame of his 10-5 victory against Dave Gilbert in the first round.
Before Trump’s rally, O’Sullivan wins five straight frames.
Trump, the 2019 champion, won the first frame with a 72 break, but O’Sullivan seized charge and reeled off the next five frames with two brilliant hundreds and a break of 68.
With the clock ticking down on Trump’s table time, he answered by scoring a 97 and maintaining his composure to minimize his deficit.
He seemed thrilled to leave the arena when Trump, who had failed to convert opportunities of his own and was guilty of bad shot selection when granted a free ball, was spared by O’Sullivan’s inability to get into position on the yellow and following foul.
A record-equaling eighth global title for O’Sullivan, who defeated Kyren Wilson 18-8, was won in the first session of the 2020 final.
It was vital for Trump to be able to minimize the damage, especially after he seemed to be shaken by giving O’Sullivan the fourth frame of the day by missing a red, yellow, and green, before yielding the free ball and losing on a red-black re-spot.
