JIMMY WHITE feels the Snooker World Championship will lose its “magic” if it ever leaves the Crucible.
The biggest talking of this year’s tournament has been its future and whether it should or will stay in Sheffield beyond 2027.
Veteran sports promoter Barry Hearn claims “you can’t eat history” when it comes to paying mortgages and bills.
And in his eyes, money should trump legacy if a professional sport is to progress and evolve.
The options for 2028 seem to be a bigger and better venue in or close to the S1 postcode or shifting the event globally with Saudi Arabia and China possible destinations.
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Between 1981 and 2006, White played 75 times in the Sheffield theatre – he lost in six World Championship finals – but then lifted the seniors crown three times in the arena.
Given his connection to the place, and he now works there as a pundit for Eurosport, he feels it is the wrong decision to move away.
The Whirlwind, 61, said: “What would be lost if we leave? Well, the magic of this venue.
“Some of the new players coming through, they’ll have to get used to the two-table situation where you get the applause on the other side. But that’s part of the magic.
“When you get to a one-table situation, there’s no other venue that I have played in which is as good as this.
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“The world championship has been here since 1977. In the 1980s, snooker became huge, and it has gone from strength to strength.
“People don’t turn around and say: ‘I want to play at the world championship.’
“They say: ‘I want to play at the Crucible.’ This theatre has a fantastic drama and fantastic atmosphere for me.
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“In the first round, the people are very close to you when you’re playing a shot. That is part of the magic of this place.”
Those comments came after Ronnie O’Sullivan said the World Snooker Championship should be moved away to either Saudi Arabia or China.
The Rocket, who is vying to become the King of Sheffield for a historic eighth time, said: “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.
“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.
“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.
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“The snooker becomes secondary. What are the facilities like? What’s it like for the fans? What’s the access like?
“You don’t need a 10 out of 10 venue. But everything else has to be right.”
And the 48-year-old, who recently penned a three-year ambassadorial deal with Saudi Arabia after winning the inaugural World Snooker Tour (WST) event in the Middle East nation, added: “I know at the Crucible you get nice tea there, you might get lasagne if the guys are cooking. But that’s about it.
“A lot of the problem with Sheffield is you get no peace and quiet, you cannot even park there.
“This year I’ll take my electric bike, with a suit and rucksack. Fold it up, sit in the venue an hour beforehand, take my time.
“Trying to get in and out of Sheffield, it’s a nightmare. It’s a one-way system. But then you get roadworks or a diversion.
“You don’t want all that. You don’t get all that in Shanghai.
“You get a courtesy car to pick you up. Roads are shut off. Ten security guards walk you in. There are practice tables. Beautiful food.
“You end up giving your time to the fans because I haven’t had the stress and hassle.
“When you are playing in a competition, you just want peace of mind, you don’t want to be driven mad. You don’t want to be hassled.”
