By Elliott West
“The allegation was that Mr O’Neill was drunk on the morning of his match and that he made inappropriate comments and gestures toward two female members of staff. He then played his qualifying match whilst under the influence of alcohol”.
The complaint
Introduction
Snooker has had its share of scandals over the years and the latest surrounds the player Jamie O’Neill. Jamie from Northamptonshire and currently ranked 112th in the world rankings with a career-high ranking of 79th, has just been sanctioned by the disciplinary committee for playing drunk and making inappropriate comments to female staff at a Northern Ireland qualifying match in Leicester last year. This isn’t the first time that this 35-year-old has fallen foul of the snooker regulations. He has already previously received a two-event suspension last year for inappropriate behaviour towards hotel and Tour staff and breaching hotel rules. He has also been given suspended fines over comments made on social media.
The Last Straw
This latest breach of snooker guidelines was a step too far and so the disciplinary board felt they had to impose a harsher ruling after a complaint was made about the player. This was echoed in the ruling released as a press statement:
“After a complaint made to the WPBSA by WST, Jamie O’Neill was charged with breaches of the WPBSA Members Rules and his Players Contract with WSL as a result of incidents at the Northern Ireland Qualifying Event in Leicester on Monday 23rd August 2021”.
The WPBSA disciplinary panel ruling
This latest incident also contravenes his previous suspended penalty imposed in May last year and two previous suspended penalties. This ruling means that he is banned from playing in any WST events until 31st July 2022, has to pay a fine of £1,500 and pays £3,200 towards the costs of the hearings. Jamie will not be able to compete in the Championship League and the European Masters. This total of £4,700 in fines combined with no appearance fees until the end of August will inflict a massive blow on this player’s annual earnings. Someone who reached the last 16 of the 2021 Scottish Open.
This has definitely left a stain on O’Neill’s snooker career but such behaviour can’t be tolerated in this or any sports. It is a great shame because like anyone in the 128, Jamie has potential. A player who prior to turning professional had won the 2003 European Under-19 Championship and the 2006 English Open Championship. He also won an International Open Event in 2007. This ruling puts his place on the main tour in jeopardy for next season, a place that he secured coming through qualifying school in 2019.
