Last updated on .From the section Snooker

Never tempted to cheat - O'Sullivan

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will be asked to explain claims he rejected a £20,000 offer to fix a Premier League snooker match about 10 years ago.

"Someone rang me and said he'd like to meet me over in the forest and have a walk through the woods," O'Sullivan, 37, wrote in his new autobiography.

"What they were offering, 20 grand," he added, "I could get for a couple of nights' work."

Snooker's governing body said he would be asked to clarify his claims.

"We are aware of what has been said in his book and we will be writing to Ronnie O'Sullivan to ask him to explain his comments," said Nigel Mawer, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's disciplinary committee.

O'Sullivan, who won his fifth world title in May after taking a six-month break from the sport, said the meeting - in Epping Forest, Essex - lasted about 15 minutes.

"If anyone could get away with it, I could. I could just play one-handed or left-handed, or just put a towel over my head, and pretend I was going nuts," he said.

Ronnie O'Sullivan factfile Born on 5 December 1975

Makes his first century break aged 10

Turns professional aged 16

At 17, he becomes the youngest winner of a ranking tournament at the 1993 UK Championship

Beats John Higgins to win first world title in 2001

Adds more Crucible titles in 2004 and 2008

Wins 2012 world title but on 6 November he says he will be taking a break from the sport

On 23 February 2013 he announces his return

Wins his fifth world title on 6 May

"But it's not something I would or could do. I couldn't live with myself; I'd feel that was robbing somebody."

The revelation comes less than a month after former world top-five player Stephen Lee was handed a 12-year ban after being found guilty of seven match-fixing charges. He is appealing against the verdict.

In an interview with BBC Sport, O'Sullivan was asked whether he had ever considered throwing a match.

"I can't do it. I enjoy playing - snooker's given me a great life," he said.

"You put all of that on the line. Without snooker you'd lose friends and family.

"You're not just taking the money, but jeopardising relationships with people, the sport, and the opportunity to embrace great things that being a professional snooker player can give you."

O'Sullivan recently backtracked on a claim he made that Lee was not the only player guilty of match-fixing.

The Essex player, nicknamed 'The Rocket', had originally tweeted: "I've heard there's many more players who throw snooker matches.

"I suppose Steve Lee was just caught out.

"No need to worry if you got nothing to hide. But plenty of people have got loads to hide. That's why there is no free speech. They're hiding."

World Snooker boss Barry Hearn reacted by stating O'Sullivan's comments were "unacceptable and damaging".

O'Sullivan later said he had "no concrete evidence of match-fixing in snooker", but hinted players were aware of who might be involved.