Ali Carter has fired back at Stephen Maguire’s comments about his snooker etiquette, claiming he “isn’t exactly whiter than white”.
The pair came together at the Welsh Open on Saturday. Maguire found himself 3-2 down but rallied to secure a 6-4 success and with it a place in the final against Mark Selby.
But the battle was not quite finished there. Maguire took aim at his opponent for perceived rough treatment of equipment during the game post-match.
"The rests were getting thrown about, the extensions were flying under the table," he said on Eurosport. "I felt like saying to the ref, 'Let him pick them up.' It made things a wee bit easier. I thought: 'Is that how you act?'"
Carter has now responded to those comments by claiming that he actually wished Maguire luck for the final, while claiming that his etiquette around the table isn’t squeaky clean either. Taking to Twitter, he said: “Disappointing comments really after I wished him well in the final. He isn’t exactly whiter than white either.”
Maguire was not the only one who complained about Carter’s mid-match behaviour. Ex-snooker star Alan McManus also noticed his etiquette - or lack thereof - during his role as a commentator for Eurosport.
He said: "Never liked the way Ali Carter throws that rest in the hooks, I must confess. Just putting it out there. No need for it. No need for it."
Maguire is not the only current snooker star that Carter has managed to get under the skin of over recent years. Ronnie O’Sullivan also launched into a foul-mouthed rant aimed at his opponent after his Masters final victory at Alexandra Palace last year after Carter had claimed The Rocket had "snotted on the floor".
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Speaking in response, O’Sullivan said: "He needs to sort his f****** life out. I'm not going to skirt around it any more, tip-toeing on eggshells around someone like that. He's a f****** nightmare.
"Playing snooker against someone like that is a nightmare. He's not a nice person. It's not a nice vibe he leaves around the table.
"I've said my piece, I don't give a s***. I've said it now, done. You know what he's like, everybody knows what he's like. He's got issues. F****** why has he got issues with me? I'm not having it."
O'Sullivan has since spoken out on the incident, suggesting that he regrets his explosive comments.
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