Ronnie O'Sullivan called for the World Championships to move out of Crucible
On April 15, 2024, according to Hegel, Ronnie O'Sullivan was happy to see the World Snooker Championship move from Sheffield, and he thought it would be a "wise" decision to move the venue to China or Saudi Arabia. But Hendry has always been against it.
Since 1977, Crucible has been the venue for the sport's biggest event and will continue until at least 2027, when the current contract expires.
However, it is unclear where the World Championship will be held from 2028 onwards, with many fans and players hoping that Sheffield will continue to host the tournament, but not everyone thinks so.
The sport's most famous player was not impressed by the history and iconography of South Yorkshire theatre, instead he wanted a larger venue with better access and improved facilities.
The Rockets didn't like the fact that the players didn't have any special treatment at Sheffield, having to go in and out of Crucible in the heart of the city to show to the public, while he wasn't happy with the food and drink at the venue.
O'Sullivan told The Sun: "I don't like Crucible. I don't think you can come and go as you please. I think moving it from Sheffield was definitely a wise decision. ”
"There's also a tournament there. Why not? But not the 17-day World Championships. The World Championships is a huge event, and you need a huge space to accommodate it. I think Saudi Arabia would be great. They have the resources and will do well.
"If you're going to move it to China, you're going to have to bring it to Shanghai. Or another big city, like Shenzhen or Guangzhou. It will do well. They also provide courtesy cars and food. The hotel would also be great. Everything will be compensated. The prize money will also be astronomical. ”
"I know that in Fort Crucible, you can have good tea, and if they're cooking, you're probably going to have lasagna. But that's all. ”
Although Barry Hearn is still actively involved in snooker, he is no longer the president of the World Taiwan Federation, but in the role of adviser.
He admits that his son Eddie (now chairman) is more open to moving the World Championships away from Sheffield to make more money.
The Crucible Opera House has a capacity of less than 1,000 people, but Hearn has already made a request to the municipality to guarantee the future of the World Championships with a larger venue.
Hearn told Hendry about Crucible's future on his CT channel last year: "The danger you're facing is Eddie, he's not a snooker fan and one of the things I teach him is to be honest. He is not a snooker fan, and money is attractive to him to move the World Championships. ”
"They have four years left and I'm really challenging the Sheffield City Councillors. I'm fed up with always doing the right thing. I told them that I wanted to stay, but I had to build a new stadium. You love it, you tell me it's the greatest thing that has happened to Sheffield, I believe you. I will promise. Build me a space that can accommodate 2,500 people. ”
"I think that's perfect. Get out of here and do something dramatic. Don't tell me you love me and then make me pay the bill while we eat. ”