Shaun Murphy has passionately defended the Crucible Theatre after Hossein Vafaei criticised the historic venue, calling it 'smelly' and likening the practice room to a 'garage'. Murphy, the 2005 world champion, described Vafaei's comments as 'almost sacrilege' and said the Iranian had 'not helped the sport at all'.
Murphy's defence came after his 10-5 victory over Lyu Haotian, his first Crucible win since 2021. He acknowledged the venue's limitations, noting it is a working theatre that could 'sell out 10 times over for the final', but insisted the World Championship should remain there despite its small capacity of 980.
Meanwhile, four-time champion Mark Selby suffered a shock 10-6 first-round defeat to fellow Leicester player Joe O'Connor. Selby admitted he will 'seriously consider' his future in the sport, citing mental struggles and a tendency to put too much pressure on himself.
Gary Wilson also exited, losing 10-5 to Stuart Bingham. The results mean five seeds have been eliminated in the first three days, including Luca Brecel, Selby, Ali Carter, Wilson, and Zhang Anda.
