Ronnie O'Sullivan has been accused of 'sabotaging' his match against Mark Selby in the Players Championship. <br /><br />On Thursday evening, four-time world champion Selby cruised to a 6-0 victory over O'Sullivan and, in turn, secured his place in the semi-finals of the competition in Telford. <br /><br />O'Sullivan, who was on a 16-match unbeaten run heading into the clash with Selby, was easily second-best on the night and it was partially down to the game's bizarre start. <br /><br />In the opening frame, referee Desislava Bozhilova failed to warn the 48-year-old after he fouled on his first two shots, despite having a clear sight of the reds.<br /><br />In typical circumstances, that would have meant losing the frame. However, the referee quickly realized her error and then informed O'Sullivan that he would forfeit the frame if he didn't hit a red on his next shot. <br /><br />With that in mind, the seven-time world champion opted to smash into the reds and, in turn, opened up the table - before Selby won the frame with a break of 65. <br /><br />Before the balls could settle on the table, O'Sullivan had already marched back to his seat and prepared for Selby to take his shot. <br /><br />As a video of the incident began circulating social media, fans quickly responded to O'Sullivan's decision and claimed that he was 'sabotaging' his own game. <br /><br />One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: 'This is the moment Ronnie sabotaged the match, he couldn't be bothered and Selby knew it and took advantage.'<br /><br />'He’s a genius no doubt, but massively dislikable. When he’s firing he’s box office to watch. The rest of the time off the table he’s boring and predictable,' another said. <br /><br />One frustrated fan said: 'He is the greatest snooker player ever but unfortunately his ego is his downfall. The sport made him, not the other way around,' <br /><br />'It looked like Ronnie wasn’t bothered about tonight for him to lose 6-0 is very unusual but I have to give Shelby credit also for taking the game to Ronnie,' one user said. <br /><br />Selby will now take on either China’s Zhang Anda or John Higgins in the tournament's semi-final on Saturday.<br /><br />Earlier in the week, O'Sullivan caused controversy after claiming that he's going 'on strike' from 147 breaks until snooker chiefs increase the prize money. <br /><br />Last week, O'Sullivan apologized to fans after confirming that he would not participate in the Welsh Open, which began in Llandudno.<br /><br />Instead of competing in the competition, O'Sullivan opted to take on a punditry role for Eurosport, as Gary Wilson hit the 199th 147 break in the history of the sport.<br /><br />After the incident, according to The Sun, O'Sullivan was asked about his record of smashing 147s in the sport, to which he said: 'I reckon another five or six, but I went on strike a long time ago.'<br /><br />The 48-year-old - who has hit 15 maximums during his sensational career - then suggested that snooker chiefs should 'start bumping up the prize money'.<br />
