Barry Hearn believes that Sheffield City council “will move heaven and earth” to keep the Snooker World Championship in the city.
The Crucible, which only holds 980 spectators has held snookers biggest event every year since 1977, but the current contract expires in 2027.
“The priority is to stay in the Steel City of Sheffield because it’s been our home for a long, long time” said Hearn.
The venue has been criticised for it’s conditions, with Iranian player Hossein Vafaei saying the venue “smells really bad”, the practice room is like a “garage” and the World Championship should move elsewhere.
Vafaei would prefer the event to be held in either China or Saudi Arabia, which held it’s first Snooker tournament in March with the World Masters Snooker.
However, 2005 World Snooker Champion Shaun Murphy hopes they can find a way to keep it where it is, he said “As a player you know all these iconic snooker moments happened in that arena and it’s a very special place for the players and fans that flock here every year, will it move? I don’t know. I hope not, but I don’t know.”