Iran’s Hossein Vafaei on Sunday said that the Crucible Theatre venue for the World Snooker Championship “smells really bad,” and the tournament could learn from China where players are “treated like stars.”
Vafaei lost his first-round clash 10-5 to former champion Judd Trump and lashed out at the conditions at the arena in Sheffield, England, which has hosted the event since 1977.
“Everything’s so bad — if you ask me if I want to come back here, I would tell you no way,” Vafaei said.
Photo: AFP
“Forget the history, you want to go somewhere really nice as a player. You walk round the Crucible and it smells really bad. You go to other countries and everything is shiny, but here it’s completely different,” he said.
“The practice room — do you see anything special? I feel like I’m practicing in a garage,” Vafaei added.
World No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan has already suggested the world championship should be moved to Saudi Arabia or China when the existing deal expires in 2027.
“Look at the China venues, how fantastic they treat the players, a red carpet and an opening ceremony,” Vafaei said. “The players are treated like stars, but here no one looks after the players, before and after the match no one cares who you are.”
The World Snooker Tour said in a statement that “the Crucible is a historic venue and there are limitations given the size of the backstage areas.”
“We work with the Crucible to make it as welcoming as possible for players,” it said.
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