Ken Doherty praises 'fantastic' Saudi snooker involvement but makes stern request - EXCL

star Ken Doherty has hailed the "fantastic" Saudi Arabian interest in the sport, but has urged the powers that be to leave the World Championship alone. The Crucible will host snooker's biggest showpiece until 2027 at least, with a switch to the Middle East having been mooted after that.

Saudi Arabia's grip, as funded by its Public Investment Fund (PIF), on the sporting world has tightened in recent years, with boxing, football, tennis and snooker just some of the sports under the Middle Eastern nation's sphere of influence. While pushback has been fierce from some, others, , have welcomed the change.

Doherty, who won the 1997 World Championship, is decidedly split. While at a World Championship event in Sheffield organised by tournament sponsors , the Irishman exclusively told Express Sport: "I like the Saudi interest, but they can create their own big tournaments and put money into snooker. That's fantastic, create and build their own academies over there. That's brilliant. But create your own tournament, create your own. They have a special tournament, the 167, that's brilliant. I like that."

The ex-player-turned-pundit was referencing the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, which debuted last year and gave invited cuesmiths a chance to earn £750,000 by scoring the innovative 167 break - a slight twist on the traditional 147 break. What's more, the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters also debuted last year, with the newest ranking event on the Tour boasting a total purse just lower than the World Championship itself.

But when asked by Express Sport about the possibility of the prestigious World Championship packing up and leaving Sheffield for Saudi, Doherty was less enthused. The 55-year-old continued: "But you can't just come along and say 'We want your world championship, we'll give you X amount of pounds and have it here in Riyadh'. You can't do that. The world championship should stay here."

Navigating the next couple of years could prove crucial to the development, and, in some cases, survival, of the sport. A move away from the Crucible might not be the popular option, but more often than not, when money talks, it's very rarely told no.

Midnite is the new official UK betting and casino partner of the World Snooker Championship, which will run from April 19 to May 5. To celebrate the partnership, Midnite has created a FREE limited edition lager - with one free beer available per person - which will be served at The Graduate pub, a very short walk from the Crucible Theatre, throughout the tournament.