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RONNIE O’SULLIVAN reckons the World Snooker Championship should be moved away from the outdated Crucible to either Saudi Arabia or China.
The Rocket, 48, could become the King of Sheffield for a historic eighth time next month.
GettyBut he believes the facilities at the South Yorkshire venue are no longer suitable for the sport’s flagship tournament.
Only last month he played competitively in Saudi capital Riyadh and the Chinese city of Yushan where he and the rest of the world’s elite players enjoyed five-star VIP treatment.
The Crucible Theatre has a contract to host the event until 2027, which would mark its 50th anniversary.
In a chat with SunSport over a cup of tea at his Essex home, O’Sullivan explained: “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.
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“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.
“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.”
World No.1 O’Sullivan, who begins his first-round account on Wednesday April 24, has not been a fan of the Crucible for a long time despite his enormous success there.
He 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.”
O’Sullivan – who is part of Eurosport’s excellent snooker punditry team – has won five titles this season.
He was successful in the past two Triple Crown events – the UK Championship and Masters – which has he won for a record eighth time.
Lifting the world title on the evening of Bank Holiday Monday May 6 would mean he would have the unique record of 8-8-8 in the sport’s three biggest events.
Some speculate that he could call it quits, go out on a massive high, but O’Sullivan says he is not ready to retire just yet.
Freshly showered after a brutal four-kilometre run, spirited O’Sullivan said: “The only one I haven’t got is eight world titles.
“It’d be nice to win it. Would it complete my life? Nah. I’m trying to separate life from work.
“But it would be nice, I’m not going to lie.
“When I have had 2-3 months where I have been playing great, then that would be the time when I’ll hang my cue up.
“Would I hang my cue up now? I wouldn’t. Because I don’t feel like I have been in a good place with it. Now definitely wouldn’t be the time.”
- Watch the World Snooker Championship live on Eurosport and discovery+ from April 20-May 6.
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