Ronnie O'Sullivan's new swipe at town: Empty Crucible is like playing in a morgue... I'd rather go and play in Crawley

We know Ronnie O'Sullivan is no fan of Crawley and its K2 sports centre - so it is no surprise he has taken a new swipe at the town in a TV interview.
Ronnie O'Sullivan at The Crucible / Picture: GettyRonnie O'Sullivan at The Crucible / Picture: Getty
Ronnie O'Sullivan at The Crucible / Picture: Getty

Talking about the difficulty of playing in an empty Crucible in Sheffield, O'Sullivan said it was like playing in a morgue - and added: "I'd rather go and play in Crawley."

The Rocket reached the last eight in Sheffield after beating Ding Junhui 13-10 on Sunday night but said the lack of fans takes away from the atmosphere.

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In the past he has criticised the K2, the venue for the English Open, which he said smelled and had questionable hygiene levels.

Speaking to the media after his Crucible win he said: ‘It’s better with the fans, of course it is, it’s like playing in a morgue out there. I’ve got one friend sitting up in the balcony. It’s better with the fans but it would be great to have the fans and be able to get in and out the venue, it feels a bit like a village feel at the moment which is good because the players are more relaxed.'

He added: ‘It puts you off coming to this tournament, I’d rather go and play in Crawley.’

Previously he said: "Every day in Crawley is a day lost in my life."

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In 2018 he told the BBC: “It’s such a bad venue, it demotivates you to want to play. This is about as bad as I’ve ever seen. It’s a bit of a hellhole.”

A year later he lashed out again, saying "It's not changed as far as I'm concerned. You would have to change a lot in this place, a complete refurbishment probably. I'm not surprised, it's what I expect it to be. I've just gone from a match table, to a squash court to a toilet, where the players' office is, from the toilet to walk around the outside of the building through the heavy rain to come here and talk to you [the press]. I'll probably end up with a bit of pneumonia on top of the cold I've already got."

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