“I’m looking for Sheffield to come to the party and if they do, we’ll stay. If they don’t, what they’re really saying is we don’t want to,” says Barry Hearn, who is again calling for a new, larger venue in the city to replace the Crucible, with the venue’s current contract expiring in 2027
Last updated: 04/24/24 7:54 p.m
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Ronnie O’Sullivan says if the World Snooker Championship were moved to Saudi Arabia he would find the tournament more convenient as a player
Ronnie O’Sullivan says if the World Snooker Championship were moved to Saudi Arabia he would find the tournament more convenient as a player
Barry Hearn has warned Sheffield City Council that its days of hosting the World Snooker Championship are numbered unless the Crucible is demolished and replaced with a larger capacity venue.
Hearn, a former World Snooker chairman and president of Matchroom, says there is no room for sentimentality when the venue’s current contract expires in 2027 – the 50th anniversary of hosting the championships – adding: “It just goes about money.”
Speculation about the venue’s future was sparked in the run-up to this year’s tournament by seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan, who suggested it could be moved to either Saudi Arabia or China to maximize winning potential.
Meanwhile, Hossein Vafaei criticized the conditions at the Crucible – calling it “smelly” and comparing the practice room facilities to playing in a garage – after his first-round loss to Judd Trump.
“I’m doing absolutely everything I can to stay in Sheffield and it takes two to tango – I’ll stay here as long as we’re wanted and I think we are wanted,” Hearn told the BBC:
“But they have to be realistic. We have said for the last few years that we need a new venue that can accommodate 2,500 to 3,000 people.”
“I’m looking for Sheffield to come to the party and if they do, we’ll stay. If they don’t, they’re actually saying we don’t want to, so it’s not really my job.”
Sheffield City Council responded by reaffirming its commitment to ensuring the future of the World Cup in the city into the second half of the century.
Managing director Kate Josephs said: “Sheffield is the home of snooker. The World Snooker Championships and Sheffield go hand in hand.”
“We know what the tournament means to the people of Sheffield, the players coming to compete and all the fans watching the tournament around the world. We have created a sporting legacy here in the city and want this to continue for generations.”
“We are in regular contact with the World Snooker Tour and meet with them before, during and after every tournament and we will continue to do so.”
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Could the World Cup switch between venues?
Saudi Arabia’s growing interest in the sport has dramatically changed the landscape of discussion: the first ranking tournament is set to be held in the kingdom next season, and the second World Masters of Snooker is doubling the prize for the controversial Golden Ball to $1 million.
Ronnie O’Sullivan in the first round of the Crucible at the start of the 2024 World Snooker Championships
Hearn claimed he had no concerns about moving the tournament from the venue that has hosted all World Cups since 1977 and even suggested a scenario where it could be moved around the world on a rotating basis.
“Why should the tournament have one home and why isn’t the Crucible transported around the world to play one year in Saudi Arabia, one year in Beijing, one year in Sheffield?” Hearn added.
“The Crucible has a fantastic story and has been an important part of my life, but we have to live in the real world. There is a price for everything, whether we like it or not.”
“I would like to tell you that we are living in a fairy tale, but it is not that simple. In any professional sport played by professional athletes, the first demand is prize money and they want to see it as high as possible and we have a duty to these players.
Barry Hearn says it takes “two to tango” if the World Snooker Championship is to stay in Sheffield long-term
“I believe we will reach £20m in prize money next year, but you must never in your life become complacent and allow yourself the luxury of saying ‘job done’. There is never enough. It’s all about the money – get used to it.”
A number of top players responded to criticism of the Crucible: former winner Shaun Murphy described Vafaei’s comments as “sacrilege” and six-time runner-up Jimmy White described them as “absolute nonsense”.
Other leading players, including Trump and Mark Allen, have recognized the dilemma facing the sport’s governors but did not join O’Sullivan and Vafaei in calling for the sport to be abolished.
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