Hossein Vafaei criticises Sheffield's 'smelly' Crucible after World Snooker defeat

A player has criticised Sheffield's Crucible Theatre for being "smelly" after he was knocked out of the World Snooker Championship.

Hossein Vafaei compared the venue's practice facilities to "playing in a garage" after his 10-5 defeat by former champion Judd Trump.

The 29-year-old questioned the treatment of players over the 17-day event.

"Everything’s so bad – if you ask me if I want to come back here, I would tell you no way," Vafaei said.

"Forget the history, you want to go somewhere really nice as a player. You walk round the Crucible and it smells really bad. You go to other countries, and everything is shiny. But here it’s completely different.

"The practice room – do you see anything special? I feel like I’m practising in a garage."

Speculation over the future of the Crucible, which has staged the tournament since 1977, has been heightened since world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan suggested it should be moved to Saudi Arabia or China when the existing deal expires in 2027.

Vafaei, who made his debut in 2022, added: "Look at the China venues, how fantastic they treat the players, a red carpet and an opening ceremony. The players are treated like stars. But here no one looks after the players, before and after the match no one cares who you are.

"If they don’t want to lose the Crucible invest some money, make it shinier, make it nicer, make it more luxury for the people. If they make it cleaner and nicer, people will enjoy it."

In a statement World Snooker Tour acknowledge the Crucible's "limitations given the size of the backstage areas".

It added: "We work with the Crucible to make it as welcoming as possible for players.”

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