Hossein Vafaei’s criticism of the Crucible has not gone down well with Jimmy White and Alan McManus. The Iranian snooker player expressed his dissatisfaction with the Sheffield venue after losing to Judd Trump in the first round of the World Championship. Vafaei described the Crucible as smelling bad and compared the practice room to a garage. Shaun Murphy was the first to criticize Vafaei’s comments, but White and McManus were quick to join in. White called the criticism “pathetic” and suggested that Vafaei would regret his words. McManus dismissed Vafaei’s calls for improved facilities, stating that the World Championship is about focusing on the snooker table, not being pampered.
Vafaei’s comments did not sit well with Jimmy White, who found them to be “stupid” and suggested that Vafaei would regret making them. White questioned whether Vafaei would have made the same comments if he had won the match against Trump. He advised Vafaei to accept defeat graciously and prepare for the next year’s championship. Alan McManus also had no sympathy for Vafaei’s complaints about the facilities at the Crucible. He dismissed Vafaei’s claims that the venue smelled bad and stated that there was nothing wrong with the Crucible. McManus emphasized that the World Championship is a place of work, not a place to be pampered.
Judd Trump emerged victorious in the match against Vafaei, winning 10-5 in the opening round.
