The Sheffield City Council have released a statement in response to Barry Hearn's recent comments calling for a new Crucible to be built or risk the World Snooker Championships being moved abroad.
The Crucible has been the home of the World Snooker Championships since 1977 and offers a unique experience incomparable to any other major sporting venue.
There's a small capacity of just 980 and tickets sell out instantly, but its future hosting the Triple Crown event has been brought into question recently.
Ronnie O'Sullivan said he would be a fan of the major tournament moving to Saudi Arabia or China.
The Crucible has hosted the World Snooker Championships since 1977
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Other top players have similarly called on the Crucible to majorly updated or rebuilt altogether to move into the modern age.
Matchroom president Hearn claims he wants to keep the tournament in Sheffield, but has called on the city council to build a new venue capable of holding a much larger audience.
Hearn unapologetically claimed the Crucible's future is purely motivated by money with the Middle East and China seemingly ready to make a bid to host the world championships.
But Kate Josephs, chief executive of Sheffield City Council, has now released a statement in response to Hearn's comments.
The statement read: “Sheffield is the home of snooker. The World Snooker Championships and Sheffield go hand in hand.
“We know what the tournament means to the people of Sheffield, the players that come to compete and all the fans that watch the tournament across the globe.
"We have created a sporting legacy here in the city and we want that to continue for generations to come.
“We are in regular contact with World Snooker Tour and meet with them before, during and after each tournament and we will continue doing so.”
Barry Hearn wants a new Crucible to be built
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Hearn believes the players will begin to revolt if a better offer is put on the table and claims Sheffield haven't shown any willingness to change.
"The silence is deafening," he said.
"I want to stay in Sheffield fundamentally, completely and utterly. But if they don’t want me, I’m not going to kick up a fuss. I’ll just quietly disappear to somewhere else, another country.
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Ronnie O'Sullivan wants the World Snooker Championships moved to Saudi Arabia or China
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"If someone comes in with 10 times, a hundred times more money, what do you think the players would say if you had the ability to multiply the prize money by 10 or you decided to be loyal and rely on the history of the Crucible? I don’t think I’d be very popular.
"We’ve got to live in the real world, but here’s the opportunity for Sheffield to say, show me you do want me. The silence is deafening equals: do they care?
"I want the question mark answered. We’ve got three years, I want a new venue. I would like to stay here, but if I’m not rewarded with some message of hope, then sooner rather than later plans have got to be made."
