Stephen Maguire has risked the wrath of Crucible bosses by calling for the World Championship to switch venues.
Maguire, 41, will be playing in Sheffield when the 2022 version of the tournament gets underway on the weekend. It will be the 46th consecutive year the tournament has been held at the venue.
The snooker star made sure of his place in the main draw with back to back wins over two Chinese players in qualifying, firstly beating Zhang Jiankang 6-3. The world No 40 then backed that up with a 10-7 win over Zhou Yuelong and is now gearing up for the start of the showpiece event.
The Crucible has become synonymous with snooker and has provided some of the sport's most famous moments over the years. However, with a capacity of just 1,000, leading players like Neil Robertson, Judd Trump, and Shaun Murphy have all publicly suggested that authorities consider a move elsewhere.
And now Maguire, who has won six major ranking tournaments, has joined the voices of discontent. And the 'Maverick' - who suggested his height was an issue at the building - even has a replacement venue in mind.
"I’m not slagging the Crucible, but I’m not the biggest fan of the Crucible, I think it’s small," Maguire told The Metro . "I’ve said that from day one when I qualified, it’s very small and it takes a bit to get used to.
"I’m tall, I like a walk in and you don’t get the walk in. But it is special, it’s got a special atmosphere on top of that, so it’s kind of 50-50. I would move it, yeah, I would. I think Ally Pally [Alexandra Palace] has made itself our best venue by probably a good distance."
The Palace already hosts the Masters in snooker. However, it has become famous in sporting circles for its association with darts, being the home of the PDC World Championships every year.
At the 2021/22 event, a capacity crowd of 3,000 crammed into the arena on each night, and Maguire argues that switching snooker's marquee event to there would benefit players and fans: "The way they do it, the way they set it up is exciting there. So why is the Masters the second biggest tournament but it feels like the biggest?
"I don’t get that, but they keep going on about history, but history has to start somewhere doesn’t it? I can imagine they can put two tables at Ally Pally, it’s big enough."
Maguire did admit that players who had won the title previously in Sheffield, a feat he's never achieved, may have a different view. But with Sheffield under contract to keep the tournament until at leats the end of 2027, he's unlikely to get his wish anytime soon.
The draw for the tournament is due to take place on Thursday. With Ronnie O'Sullivan having triumphed in 2020, 'The Rocket' goes in just one win away from matching Stephen Hendry's all-time record of seven world titles.
