Jimmy White calls out snooker star for 'pathetic' remark after losing at World Championship

Jimmy White has slammed Hossein Vafaei for his 'pathetic' comments about the Crucible following his first round loss to Judd Trump.

The Iranian lost 10-5 to world number two Trump after winning two qualifying matches to reach the Crucible.

Vafaei isn't afraid of speaking his mind, and became involved in a verbal feud with Ronnie O'Sullivan before last year's World Championship over a break-off incident at the 2022 German Masters.

And after losing to Trump, the world number 19 made his feelings clear on what he thought of the Crucible as a snooker venue.

He fumed: "History is very important, but nobody invests any money in this historical venue. You want to go somewhere really nice.

"If you walk around the Crucible, it smells really bad. I'm honest. Everything is so bad.

"If you ask me, 'Do I want to come back here?', the answer is no.

"The practice room? Do you see anything special about it? It feels like I'm practicing in a garage and that's not good. I'm coming here from a different country to see that. I'm sorry, I have to tell the truth."

His comments have not gone down well with current and former professionals, with Shaun Murphy urging the Iranian to 'educate himself' over the Crucible.

And six-time world finalist White, who is working on the tournament as a pundit for Eurosport after failing to qualify, blasted Vafaei over his remarks.

He said: "Listen, if he wins the match, does he say that?

"It's just pathetic. I don't get it. He's got beat. Who gives a ... about it?

"It's just stupid, you know. These things, he'll regret. You just want to fast forward sometimes and say, 'That was a stupid thing to do'. You got beat, shake the geezer's hand and get ready for next year."

Jimmy White on Hossein Vafaei 👀#EurosportSnooker pic.twitter.com/UGDVATnwmb

— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) April 22, 2024

White's co-pundit and two-time ranking event winner Alan McManus added: "You come here to play snooker. You don't come here to smell roses and flowers and all that stuff.

"This is a place to come and conduct your business. It's a place of work. It's not a place to come in and be pampered. I don't quite know what he wants.

"If you want to be a big star, which he's not yet incidentally, go out and win some tournaments and then start talking like that.

"Even then, I wouldn't talk like that. There isn't anything wrong with the Crucible, and there hasn't been since 1977."