Barry Hearn has asked Sheffield to build a new Crucible to secure its future as the home of the World Snooker Championship.
The World Championship has been held at the Crucible in Sheffield since 1977 and there is a deal in place for it to remain there until 2027.
But snooker promoter Hearn says he is ‘tempted’ to move the tournament elsewhere unless the venue can be upgraded.
‘It’s tempting. They’ve got a few more years but I’m really laying the gauntlet down to Sheffield City Council,’ he said on Stephen Hendry’s YouTube channel.
‘I’m fed up of being the guy who always does the right thing. I’m saying to Sheffield, “I want to stay here… so build me a new venue. If you think the Crucible is the greatest thing to happen to Sheffield, I believe you. And I will commit if you give me a venue that holds 2,500 people.”
‘I think that’s the perfect crowd, like we get at The Masters. But don’t tell me you love me and then leave me to pay the bill when we’ve had dinner.’
Several players have recently suggested the World Championship should be moved from the Crucible, with former world number one Judd Trump insisting a venue with a greater capacity would be beneficial.
Stephen Maguire expressed a similar opinion last year and said the tournament should be moved to London’s Alexandra Palace, which currently stages The Masters.
But many players and fans want the tournament to remain where it has been for over 40 years and would see a move to another venue as cynical and unnecessary.
Speaking to seven-time world champion Hendry, Matchroom Sport founder Hearn also claimed snooker was on the verge of a ‘big push’.
Hearn expects China to host more tournaments than ever during the 2023-24 season, while he also believes the sport will be heading to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters was announced in 2019 on a ten-year deal but the tournament is yet to take place due to Covid-19.
‘I think we’re on the cusp now of a next big push,’ said Hearn, 75. ‘We’re very close now with the Saudis. A tournament was all agreed before Covid.
‘I think in the next 12 months we’ll have six tournaments in China, at least one in the Middle East and for the first time in history I think the prize money will go through £20m. So that’s a step but it’s only a step.’
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