Barry Hearn reiterated Sheffield's ultimatum in the face of the Saudi threat
On April 25, 2024, according to sports editor Daniel Omi, in the recent World Snooker Championship, the Crucible Theater was harshly criticized, and the supreme leader Barry Hearn issued a strong warning before next year's World Championships.
Hearn has warned Sheffield City Council that they could lose the Snooker World Championship if they don't rebuild the Crucible Theatre.
The 2024 World Championships are currently being held in Sheffield. Defending champion Luca Brecel is out, while four-time champion Mark Selby was also eliminated in the first round.
Outside of the event, the organizers have also been criticized. Ronnie O'Sullivan slammed the Crucible Theatre and suggested that Saudi Arabia was a better place to host the World Championships.
The Sheffield Theatre's contract expires in 2027. But Hearn warned that if the facility itself was rebuilt, it would only remain in Yorkshire.
In an interview with the BBC, he said: "Nothing has changed. I'm doing everything I can to stay in Sheffield. But a slap doesn't make a sound – as long as someone looks for us, I'll stay here. I know the BBC wants us to stay, and I think Sheffield wants us to stay here too. ”
"But they have to be realistic, and we've said in the last few years that we need a new venue that can accommodate 2,500 – 3,000 people, because I'm fed up with people from all over the world asking how they can buy tickets. ”
"I'm looking forward to Sheffield coming to negotiate with us and if they come, we'll stay. If they don't, they're actually saying to me 'we don't need you'. So it's not up to me to have the final say. ”
"Trust me, money always has an advantage. We live in the real world, and if there is a transaction that can change people's lives and increase profitability, there is no alternative. ”
The 48-year-old O'Sullivan is one of the stars pushing the World Championships to leave Crucible in the near future. In an interview with The Sun, he said: "I don't like Crucible. I don't think you can come and go as you please. I think it was definitely a wise decision to take it out of Sheffield. ”
"There's also a veteran race going on there. Why not? But not the 17-day World Championships. It's like a giant circus, and you need a huge arena to accommodate it. ”
"I think Saudi Arabia would be great. They have the resources and will do well. If you're going to bring it to China, you're going to have to take it to Shanghai. Or another big city, like Shenzhen or Guangzhou. ”
O'Sullivan is not the only one criticizing Crucible in recent days. New Masters runners-up Ali Carter and Iranian Brother also spoke, with the latter claiming that the venue "emitted a foul smell". (Welcome to click to pay attention to moisturizing AB, please indicate the source for reprinting, thank you)