Ronnie O’Sullivan would not mourn the loss of The Crucible (Picture: Getty Images)
Ronnie O’Sullivan would be happy to see the World Snooker Championship move away from Sheffield, believing a switch to China or Saudi Arabia would be a ‘wise’ decision.
The Crucible has been the home of the sport’s biggest event since 1977 and will continue to be until at least 2027 when the current contract runs out.
However, where will host the World Championship from 2028 onwards is unclear, with many fans and players keen for Sheffield to keep hold of the tournament, but it is not a unanimous feeling.
The game’s most famous player is not moved by the history and iconic nature of the South Yorkshire theatre, instead wanting a bigger venue, with better access and improved facilities.
The Rocket does not like how there is little special treatment for players in Sheffield, having to get in and out of the Crucible in the middle of the city on show to the public, while he has also been unimpressed with the catering at the venue.
‘I don’t like the Crucible. I don’t think you can get in and out of it,’ O’Sullivan told The Sun. ‘I think definitely it’s a wise decision to take it away from Sheffield.
‘Still have a tournament there. Why not? But just not the World Championship over 17 days. It’s a massive circus and you need a massive space to accommodate it. I think Saudi Arabia would be great. They’ve got the resources and would do it great.
O’Sullivan has won all seven of his world titles at The Crucible (Picture: Getty Images)
‘If you’re going to take it to China, you’d have to take it to Shanghai. Or another major city like Shenzhen or Guangzhou. It’d be done properly. Courtesy cars will be laid on. Food will be there. Hotels will be great. Everything would be paid for. Prize money would be astronomical.
‘I know at the Crucible you get nice tea there, you might get lasagne if the guys are cooking. But that’s about it.’
While still heavily involved in snooker, Barry Hearn is no longer chairman of World Snooker Tour or Matchroom Sport, working in an advisory, presidential role now.
He admits that his son Eddie, now chairman of Matchroom, is much more open to a move away from Sheffield to make more money.
The Crucible’s capacity is just under 1,000, but Barry has made a request of the city to guarantee the tournament’s future with a bigger venue.
Barry Hearn has long defended the Crucible, but says things could change (Picture: Getty Images)
‘The danger you’ve got is Eddie,’ Hearn told Stephen Hendry last year on his Cue Tips channel of the Crucible’s future. ‘Eddie is not a snooker fan and one thing I’ve taught him is to be honest, to tell the truth. He’s not a snooker fan and it’s tempting [to move].
‘They’ve got four years, I’m really laying the gauntlet down to Sheffield City Council. I’m fed up with being the guy that always does the right thing. I’m saying to Sheffield, “I want to stay, build me a new venue. You like it, you tell me it’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to Sheffield, I believe you. I will commit. Build me a venue that hold 2,500 people.”
‘It’s not a lot, I think that’s the perfect crowd. Call it the Crucible, leave the Crucible theatre doing theatre stuff. Don’t tell me you love me and then leave me to pay the bill when we have dinner.’
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