Ronnie O'Sullivan has caused furore online after suggesting the World Snooker Championships should be moved to Saudi Arabia or China.
The Crucible Theatre has hosted the World Snooker Championships since 1977 with its current contract running until 2027.
The venue has become synonymous with the sport, but there have been calls for the Triple Crown event to be moved to a much bigger venue in recent years.
The Crucible holds a capacity of just 980 with the Sheffield City Council facing pressure to build a new 3,000-seater stadium to replace the current venue.
Ronnie O'Sullivan wants the World Snooker Championships moved
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Judd Trump and Neil Robertson are among the world's best players who have called for the World Championships to be moved and now O'Sullivan has put the pressure on snooker bosses to make the switch.
“I don’t like the Crucible. I don’t think you can get in and out of it," O'Sullivan told The Sun.
“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.
“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.”
Ronnie O'Sullivan has won all his seven world titles at the Crucible
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But O'Sullivan's comments haven't gone down well online with the seven-time world champion taking heavy criticism.
One snooker fan fumed: "Ronnie would be best to walk away from the game now..."
Another moaned: "No one is forcing him to come and play at @crucibletheatre he doesn't like it that much stay away!! Oh no forgot you like the money too much."
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Ronnie O'Sullivan has played in 31 World Championships
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A third messaged simply read: "Money Ronnie."
One other person said sarcastically: "Who cares about audience, atmosphere and tradition, when you have cars, food, hotels and of course money! He should just do the stupid break away tour, where he can play an alternative world championship wherever he likes."
Another posted: "Hopefully he has a s*** two weeks in Sheffield next!!"
