Iranian snooker star Hussein Vafi recently claimed that the practice facilities at the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, are like "playing in a garage", and he also expressed concern about the conditions the players are in during the long 17-day competition.
Iranian star Hossein Vafi stopped in the first round of the 2024 World Snooker Championship
The 29-year-old made the remarks after losing 5-10 to world No. 2 Trump in the first round of the 2024 World Snooker Championship. In this way, Vafi expressed his dissatisfaction with the prestigious venue, considering that since 1977 the Crucible Theater has hosted the World Championship every year. "Everything is terrible, and if you ask me if I want to come back here, I'll tell you 'no way'," Wafi said after dropping out of the first round last Sunday local time, "forget the history, as a player, you want to go to a really good place." You walk around the Crucible Theater and the smell around you is terrible. You go to other countries and everything shines. However, here is completely different. ”
Iranian star Hossein Wafi has always been known for his quick talk
The 980-seat Crucible Theatre has been home to the World Snooker Championship since 1977. World No. 1 Ronnie O'Sullivan has previously proposed moving the World Championships to Saudi Arabia or China once the current agreement expires in 2027. This has led to more and more speculation about the future of the event.
Wafai made his World Snooker Championship debut in 2022 and is currently ranked 19th in the world, expressing his enthusiasm for China. He said: "Look at the playing venues in China, how fantastic they treat the players, the red carpet and the opening ceremony. The players were treated like stars. But no one takes care of the players here, no one cares who you are before and after the game. ”
English professional snooker player Shaun Murphy
Former world champion Shaun Murphy criticized Vafai's remarks as "almost blasphemous" and suggested that Wafei was "familiar" with the importance of the Crucible Theatre in the history of snooker. "It's a workplace, not a purpose-built snooker venue," Murphy said. ”
Murphy wasn't the only one to slam Wafi, with Scottish snooker star Alan McManus also responding to the Iranian's comments. He said, "You're here to fight snooker, you're not here to smell roses and flowers or anything like that. ”