1 month ago
Former world champion Shaun Murphy has described Hossein Vafaei's disapproval of nan Crucible Theatre arsenic "almost sacrilege", saying nan Iranian has "not helped nan athletics astatine all".
On Sunday, world number 19 Vafaei said nan Crucible, which has hosted nan World Snooker Championship since 1977, "smells really bad", nan believe room is for illustration a "garage" and nan tourney should move elsewhere.
After his 10-5 triumph complete Lyu Haotian, Murphy responded to those comments, pinch a passionate defence of nan venue, regarded arsenic nan sport's home.
"This is simply a moving theatre, it’s not a purpose-built snooker venue," said Murphy. "We’re coming up to nan 50th day of snooker being present and if World Snooker Tour turned up tomorrow and did a tract visit, they would astir apt not travel present because it’s not large enough, but there’s thing we tin do astir that.
"But this is beatified ground. It’s almost sacrilege for a master snooker subordinate to beryllium truthful openly captious of our home. Hossein should amended himself connected really our circuit useful successful relationships pinch nan WST and our broadcast partners, our venues and really typical this spot is."
Murphy - who became world champion astatine nan property of 22 successful 2005 and who faces Scotland's Stephen Maguire successful nan past 16 later this week - felt Vafaei's quotes were disappointing.
"Does he reasoning he is helping our athletics turn by being truthful openly captious of 1 of our biggest partners? He has not helped nan athletics astatine all," added Murphy.
"I was ever taught by my mum if you don’t person thing bully to say, don’t opportunity anything."
The Crucible only holds 980 group and its statement expires successful 2027. Some people, including Vafaei and seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, opportunity nan tourney should beryllium held elsewhere, pinch China and Saudi Arabia among nan options.
But Murphy felt it would beryllium a correction to move nan arena from Sheffield metropolis centre.
"I don’t want nan snooker to time off here," added Murphy. "We shouldn’t person immoderate different arena here, nan World Championship should enactment successful this building, but it’s economics, it’s our biggest arena successful our smallest building.
"WST could waste this spot retired 5 times over, 10 times complete for nan final. It can’t transportation connected arsenic it is erstwhile our statement ends. I don’t deliberation anyone wants to time off isolated from Hossein and Ronnie O’Sullivan. Everyone other wants to enactment but it can’t enactment arsenic it is and thing has to give."
Murphy is simply a non-executive subordinate head connected nan World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) committee and felt nan Iranian, who has played astatine nan Crucible successful each of nan past 3 years, would not person nan aforesaid attachment to nan venue arsenic different players.
"Maybe having not grown up successful nan UK, he is not emotionally connected to this tourney arsenic galore of nan UK players are. Perhaps it’s not arsenic typical to Hossein arsenic it is for nan remainder of us," said Murphy.
"Maybe he didn’t travel present arsenic a nine-year-old arsenic I did and remembers moving aft Steve Davis for his autograph. This is beatified crushed for snooker players and Hossein should retrieve that. He said he does not want to travel backmost truthful don’t. He is not forced to."
