Ronnie O'Sullivan clashed with World Championship final ref and was called a 'bully'

Desislava Bozhilova will referee the 2025 World Snooker Championship final - a year after Ronnie O'Sullivan was forced to brush off allegations of "bullying" from the Bulgarian. The now 49-year-old had two heated exchanges with Bozhilova during his surprising 13-10 quarter-final loss to Stuart Bingham at Sheffield's iconic Crucible Theatre 12 months ago.

O'Sullivan got into a scrap on social media, being tagged as a "bully" following his disagreement with the official. He was at odds with the ref, now 32, over the placement of the black ball and chose not to take an easy red - a move that Neil Robertson, past champion, lauded as "the greatest sportsmanship I've ever seen".

Nevertheless, the visibly annoyed snooker legend told Bozhilova to "chill" as his frustration showed in the tense closing session. When Bozhilova asked O'Sullivan to proceed with his shot while he paused for audience members returning to their seats, BBC commentator Ken Doherty defended him saying he was "well within his rights" to wait.

In contrast, a composed O'Sullivan declared post-match: "I won't be commenting on players or referees. It's not worth it. I'll keep silent on that sort of stuff. I don't comment on players and I don't comment on referees. I just leave it as it is. My life's too good and I don't need the hassle.

The Rocket, known for stoking controversy, continued: "Did I [seem agitated]? I think it's great. I like the fire, I like the fire. A lot of the time I haven't had the fire because I've not really felt like I've wanted to hit a ball."

His confrontational history includes an infamous moment when he pointed at referee Olivier Marteel and warned, "don't start" during his Crucible showdown with Judd Trump two years prior.

O'Sullivan also faced disciplinary action early in his career for a head-butting incident with Terry Camilleri at the Masters and received a fine for making an offensive gesture during the World Championship.

Reflecting on his relationship with officials, O'Sullivan explained, "To be honest with you, some of the refs, I think they've got it in for me. So I just wanted to prove to her that she got it wrong.

"I didn't feel good about potting the ball after that, but I just wanted to make the point. The point was made. I'm not that hungry to win it in that way, so once the principle's been made I can sleep at night."

Bozhilova will become the first woman to referee all three Triple Crown finals having overseen the 2022 Masters final as her first.