Ronnie O’Sullivan has made his feelings clear on Stephen Lee’s potential return to snooker after serving a 12-year ban. O’Sullivan, a long-time rival of Lee, would welcome his comeback despite the former world No. 5 being found guilty of seven match-fixing charges in 2013.
The 50-year-old’s lengthy suspension only came to an end in October last year. The disgraced former star is yet to make a professional comeback, though his appearance in an exhibition match in Thailand in August suggests he could make his return after a long absence. The World Pool, Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), who organise and sanctions all World Snooker Tour events, reported in August that Lee was yet to pay legal costs relating to the match-fixing case and unsuccessful appeals. Should he repay those costs and become eligible to play, he would need to qualify through UK Q-School in order to return to the main tour.
On top of that, there is the question of whether Lee would actually be willing to make a full comeback. But O’Sullivan believes Lee could be successful if he returns.
The seven-time world champion told Sport Bible: “Yeah, I think he could compete. I’ve watched some of the YouTube videos of him. He’s a great cueist. How far he’d get up the rankings, I just don’t know. But yeah, I think he’s fresh, put it that way. He’ll be eager to play, I think.” The Rocket last faced Lee at the German Open in 2012. He also beat Lee 9-2 in the final of the China Open back in 1999.
Speaking about whether he would consider a return following the end of his ban, Lee told The Mirror in 2022: “I must get asked this weekly, daily, minutely. I would like to say no, but I am still capable of playing. Let’s see what happens in two years. It’s not a no, and not a yes. We can only just see what happens in a couple of years’ time. I have some exciting things coming up, and I’m also getting older.”
O’Sullivan is not the only snooker legend to address Lee’s potential comeback, with John Higgins stating previously that he would welcome the Wiltshire-born cueist back ‘with open arms’.
