Ronnie O’Sullivan is at odds with snooker legends John Higgins, Mark Selby and Mark Williams over the fate of the World Snooker Championship as he thinks the tournament should move away from its Crucible home. The Rocket has won a joint-record seven titles in Sheffield, topping the all-time World Championship leaderboard alongside Stephen Hendry.
The Crucible has become an iconic sporting venue after playing host to snooker’s biggest tournament since its first edition in 1977.
But it can only hold 1,000 spectators and possesses outdated facilities, with some people in the sport calling for a new venue to be found in its place.
In April, O’Sullivan told Eurosport: “I don’t actually like The Crucible to be honest. I’d much rather it go anywhere than The Crucible.
“I know it’s a great venue but I don’t like playing there for 17 days. For me, if it goes anywhere but the Crucible it would be brilliant.”
But the 48-year-old could be short of allies when it comes to pushing for a move away from Sheffield, with his sentiments not reflected by a host of other star players in the game.
Higgins told the same outlet: “[The tournament should] stay in Sheffield. I just love the Crucible. I think if we ever move from the Crucible it would be like me not having my birthday anymore. I’ve been there for so long. I would love it to say, but I just think it’s inevitable it’s going to move.”
Meanwhile, Selby explained: “Sheffield, for me, [it has to] stay at the Crucible. It’s the history, I just think it’s not the biggest venue we play in, but it’s the most compact and the atmosphere is like nothing I’ve ever experienced in the one-table set-up.”
One possible destination for the World Championship is Saudi Arabia, with the Middle East country hosting the inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters in September. But Williams added: “[It should] stay in Sheffield.
“Why not just have a tournament out there, £1million [for] the winner? You don’t have to call it the World Championships, call it the Saudi Masters, the Saudi World Cup, whatever you want to call it.
“The Crucible hasn’t got to be the highest money. The World Championship is the World Championship, if there’s another tournament over there for £1m [for] the winner then great.
“I’m not a great lover of the [Crucible] venue, I never have been, but everything there, all the history. I’ve changed my mind. Years ago I thought it should leave but I’ve changed my mind. It’s small, very cramped backstage, but I think that’s what makes the atmosphere like it is and you’ll never create that anywhere else.”
