Ronnie O'Sullivan has put out a statement regarding his comments on match-fixing after the World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn threatened to take action if the world champion did not name names.

“If he has names and he knows of incidences he has an obligation and a duty to report them and failure to do so will put him in breach of his player’s contract,” Hearn said.

After Stephen Lee was found guilty of match-fixing by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, O'Sullivan tweeted: "I've heard there's many more players who throw snooker matches."

In his statement on Thursday the five-times world champion said: “I would like to clarify the comments that I made on Twitter, 17th September, as they were an instant reaction to an issue which I feel strongly about, namely the integrity of my sport.

“The news about Stephen Lee’s match-fixing case was eye-opening to all players on the circuit, and sends out a clear message to any would-be cheats. I fully support this decision and commend the WPBSA for taking positive action in this case.

“My reference to players throwing matches was out of context in that I was referring back to rumours from many years ago when there were only a few tournaments on the circuit. The snooker circuit calendar is now full of tournaments all year round and has undoubtedly been cleaned up since World Snooker was taken over by Barry Hearn, and I do not want my comments to leave a damaging mark on the game.

“These days, players are aware that procedures are in place for monitoring and identifying unusual betting patterns, and combined with the Stephen Lee decision, these act as a significant deterrent to potential cheats. If I were aware of match-fixing, I understand that it would be up to me to report any fears to the association.

“I have no intention of undermining the integrity of the sport that I love and enjoy participating in so much and firmly believe that my tweets were taken out of context. Now let’s play snooker!”