LONDON – Iran’s Hossein Vafaei has lashed out at conditions at the venue for the World Snooker Championship, saying it “smells really bad” after being beaten by former winner Judd Trump.

Vafaei, 29, said practice facilities at the famous Crucible Theatre in the northern English city of Sheffield were “like playing in a garage” and questioned the treatment of players during the marathon 17-day event.

“Everything’s so bad – if you ask me if I want to come back here, I would tell you ‘no way’,” said Vafaei after the 10-5 defeat in the first round on April 21. “Forget the history, you want to go somewhere really nice as a player. You walk around the Crucible and it smells really bad. You go to other countries, and everything is shiny. But here it’s completely different.

“The practice room – do you see anything special? I feel like I’m practising in a garage.”

The Crucible, which has a capacity of 980 seats, has staged the tournament since 1977.

Speculation over its future has grown since world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan suggested it should be moved to Saudi Arabia or China when the existing deal expires in 2027.

He told The Sun earlier in April: “I don’t like the Crucible. I don’t think you can get in and out of it. I think definitely it’s a wise decision to take it away from Sheffield...

“Saudi Arabia would be great. They’ve got the resources and would do it great. 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.”

World No. 19 Vafaei, who made his debut at the Crucible in 2022, talked up China.

“Look at the China venues, how fantastic they treat the players, a red carpet and an opening ceremony,” he 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.

“If they don’t want to lose the Crucible, invest some money, make it shinier, make it nicer, make it more luxurious for the people. If they make it cleaner and nicer, people will enjoy it.”

The World Snooker Tour responded in a statement: “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.” AFP