News about Barry Hearn

Ronnie O'Sullivan has claimed he will call time on a glittering snooker career spanning four decades if the sport introduces a head-scratching darts-style rule change. The 48-year-old is arguably the greatest to ever grace the baize, winning a record seven World Championships - a tally he shares with Stephen Hendry. The Englishman's longevity has also been remarkable, with The Rocket's first ranking trophy coming in 1993 aged just 17 and his latest being a win in the World Grand Prix this January. He was the number one player in the world as recently as May. O'Sullivan is as infamous for his outspoken nature as he is for his explosive playing style and has previously branded snooker a 'bad sport' and compared businessman Barry Hearn's running of the game to a 'dictatorship'.

The 17-year-old was hoping to sell out tonight's Madison Square Gardens showpiece which has a 5,600 capacity as he plays the US Darts Masters, but it appears American fans have turned lukewarm on the star. Earlier in the week the players stood outside the venue and threw darts for some promo shots but most people seemingly had no idea who they were. 'I've been noticed (here), but only by UK people,' Littler admitted. More than 4,000 tickets have been made available on both Friday and Saturday as the first round got underway this afternoon with eight of the world's best battling eight North American challengers.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: With a recent boom in sporting events in the Gulf State, former PDC president Barry Hearn previously suggested that darts should make their way to the Middle East. As LIV Golf, the Spanish Super Cup, and boxing matches find success in the kingdom, the darts community has split over following suit and staying in Ally Pally. Speaking to DailyMail.com on Thursday, Mighty Mike revealed that taking the sport to Saudi Arabia may prove beneficial. '[It] will be great, I think,' he said. 'They wanna make sports big in that country. You saw the big boxing games there, the football there. For me, I don't mind where I play. I will be competing, and that's how it is.'

The Gulf State has played host to a number of major sporting events in recent years, including LIV Golf, the Spanish Super Cup and a number of big boxing events. The lucrative deals on offer mean sports are keen to work with the country, and the Hearn's involvement in both boxing and darts could result in the sport following suit in the near future. Former PDC chief Barry Hearn, who is also president of Matchroom, has previously suggested that the sport could move over to the Middle East for some of its events, suggesting it's something that could be on the cards.

PETER CARLINE AT THE CRUCIBLE: The 2024 World Snooker Championship will be memorable…but for all the wrong reasons. No seed higher than 12 reached the semi-finals, there were no 147 breaks, nor even so much of a speck of orange flour.  Events instead were overshadowed by talk of a breakaway tour and possibly moving the event overseas after 2027 when World Snooker Tour's deal with Sheffield expires.

JONATHAN MCEVOY: It's a rabbit warren of dressing rooms, green rooms and rehearsal rooms behind the curtains. And when the snooker moves out, it will stage Sir Scallywag and the Battle for Stinky Bottom. But this weekend the Crucible in Sheffield extends beyond its honourable role as a provincial theatre to assume its place at a summit of the sporting scene. Lord's and Wembley, to name but two, may possess longer and deeper significance in the national psyche, but as the spiritual home of a green-baized obsession, abetted by blanket BBC television coverage, there is nowhere remotely to touch it.

Snooker star Judd Trump says he 'wouldn't get out of bed' for a breakaway tour with the 2019 world champion valuing the sport's 'history and heritage'. There has been speculation some of the sport's biggest names could be tempted to leave the present World Snooker Tour [WST] and play in a more lucrative series of exhibitions. But Trump, 34, who beat Tom Ford 13-7 to reach the Crucible quarter-finals on Saturday, said he'd already rejected offers to quit the WST.

Jimmy White claims the Snooker World Championship will lose its 'magic' if it ever leaves the Crucible. Barry Hearn has warned Sheffield City Council its days of staging the World Snooker Championship are numbered unless the Crucible is ripped down and replaced with a bigger capacity venue.   Hearn, the former World Snooker chairman and president of Matchroom, says there is no room for sentiment when the venue's current deal expires in 2027 - its 50th anniversary of staging the Championships - adding: 'It's all about the money.'

Barry Hearn (left) has warned Sheffield City Council its days of staging the World Snooker Championship are numbered unless the Crucible (top right) is ripped down and replaced with a bigger capacity venue. Hearn, the former World Snooker chairman and president of Matchroom, says there is no room for sentiment when the venue's current deal expires in 2027 - its 50th anniversary of staging the Championships - adding: 'It's all about the money.' Speculation over the future of the venue was sparked in the build-up to this year's tournament by seven-time winner Ronnie O'Sullivan (bottom right), who suggested it should be moved to either Saudi Arabia or China in order to maximise profit potential.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's dad has slammed Barry Hearn, alleging that he has treated his son 'atrociously.' After losing his long-time rival Ali Carter on Sunday, O'Sullivan is basking in the glory of winning the Masters for a record-breaking eighth time. However, O'Sullivan's win was marred by his x-rated remarks against Carter, calling him a 'f***ing nightmare' and requiring a 'counsellor'. After the tournament's conclusion, the pair traded blows, with Carter saying that O'Sullivan isn't 'that smart' and that he regrets him.

IAN HERBERT: My youngest, who lives near Alexandra Palace, has been watching the walker pints of lager pass by his place for several days now, wearing the human traffic cones, men dressed as bananas, condiments, and Flintstones. The Professional Darts Corporation's world championships are obviously transforming Ally Pally into a destination where Oompa Loompas, nuns, and bottles of tomato ketchup are all sing "Stand up if you love the darts." A place where it is always 11.30 p.m. on a Friday night,' The Economist put it.' The purists will certainly be dissatisfied with ale's manufacturing levels and the consequent shift to new social norms. (Though there was an acknowledgement six years ago that the event's so-called 'walk-on girls' were not 'compatible with family viewing', the cheerleaders maintain.)

Since emerging as the odds-on favorite to win the championship at Alexandra Palace, the 16-year-old is already being regarded as the face of the game for the next 25 years. After defeating Brendan Dolan 5-1 to book his spot in the semi-finals, he continues his quest to be the darts' youngest World Champion. He has now pocketed £100,000 in prize money and t he kebab and Xbox-loving adolescent, who just sat his GCSEs last summer, is only two wins away from claiming the crown and £500,000 prize money in what will be one of the best sporting fairytales of recent years. He has won the hearts of new girlfriend Eloise Milburn, 21, as well as winning a legion of followers, including celebrities and sports stars (inset with James Maddison). In a historic semi-final position, she was seen kissing her 16-year-old boyfriend (bottom photo). His beauty consultant girlfriend is a musical theatre fan and singer who is also a national standard darts expert, and experts predict that the sweethearts will be a power couple and an advertiser's dream. According to Nick Ede, a branding and culture consultant, Luke Littler might be a millionaire in a few weeks, with the best actors earning at least £2.5 million-per-year. Barry Hearn, a promoter, believes he can make £10,000-a-night from exhibitions 'without blinking.' 'Luke Littler is the surprising first hero of 2024,' Mr Ede wrote. He's expected to make minimum of 100k this week, and if he makes it to the final of the World Darts Championship, he'll win double that and some'.

After the teen's success in the World Darts Championship semi-finals, Luke Litter's beauty consultant girlfriend sent a sweet note congratulating him. After his thrilling 5-1 victory over Brendan Dolan at Alexandra Palace on New Year's Day, the teen sensation's delighted other half, Eloise - who is an amateur darts player herself, was seen celebrating him. After the match, the 'Prince of the Palace' was seen kissing and hugging his new girlfriend before posting a photo of the pair of them together on Instagram, a sentiment she reposted with the tag 'The dream continues.' Incredibly proud of you!' Although the blonde has been seen at recent football matches supporting her boyfriend and his family at the championships, she has been keeping a low profile while assisting her boyfriend and his family. She is expected to be in his semi-final match on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the youngster's grandmother has made a plea to her parents to be allowed the day off work if he makes it to the final later this week, guaranteeing him at least £200,000 in the process.

Since playing and partying in the style of the late legend, Luca Brecel is eager to be named the next Alex Higgins. On Monday night, the Belgian Bullet stunned the Crucible crowd by taking his attacking route on his way to winning his first World Championship title. "I saw a little bit of Alex Higgins coming back to my world tonight," World Snooker Tour president Barry Hearn said as he welcomed Brecel to the dancefloor.

After social media followers noticed a pornographic image on Twitter, Barry Hearn was left red-faced. The former World Snooker Tour chairman snipped the photo right away, but not before eagle-eyed followers were able to spot the picture. Since the image was taken down, it's likely that his mistake was down to a slip of the finger, but he'll be thankful that he didn't mistakenly click the retweet button, which would have posted the image to his 109,000 followers on social media.

THE COVERDALE DAVID COVERDALE AT THE CRUCIBLE Mark Selby has pleaded for snooker chiefs to keep the World Championship at the Crucible after staging one of the finest performances the old theatre has ever seen. When Qatar's deal with the Sheffield venue came to an end in 2027, World Snooker Tour president Barry Hearn revealed last week that it had been an exciting hosting the showpiece tournament. Selby hopes that the sport's leaders will prevent a departure from the Crucible after being served yet another reminder of the special atmosphere in which the sport was fought in the first ever maximum against Luca Brecel.

According to Barry Hearn, Qatar is interested in staging the World Snooker Championship after the Crucible's agreement to stage the event comes to an end in 2027. With the football World Cup last year, there's a chance that the Middle-East region will host a snooker's blue-riband event in the future. Hearn, the tournament's former chairman, has always said that if he was in charge of Sheffield, the tournament would never be defeated.

Barry Hearn wants to sue the Just Stop Oil protester who upset the World Snooker Championship. The first session of Robert Milkins and Joe Perry's match at the Crucible on Monday was called off after Edred Whittingham spilled orange powder on the table. Hearn, the current World Snooker chairman, wants the 400 spectators who were 'robbed' of action by returning the student to the small claims courts.

After play was disrupted at the World Championship in Sheffield, former World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn has called for tougher punishments for protesters. On Monday evening, a man wearing a 'Just Stop Oil' T-shirt interrupted the match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry by jumping onto one of the tables and tipping orange powder over the cloth. After being tackled by fast-thinking referee Olivier Marteel, a woman was barred from doing a similar stunt on the other table.

Eddie Hearn (left) took over as Matchroom chairman in April 2021 and is led by one of the world's best fighters, including Anthony Joshua, Dmitry Benn, Conor Benn, Devin Haney, Katie Taylor, and Canelo Alvarez. Hearn Snr told Framed: Eddie has been barred from attending boxing meetings because he is too honest. "I'd like to think that I'm a really nice person," he said. However, I do set very high standards, and although that sounds simple, I try to live them myself. So as you get older and richer, you tend to tell the truth all the time. Now, my son will no longer be allowed to attend boxing meetings. "Dad, don't be so honest with everyone," he says. Lawrence Okolie (inset) adamantly abandoned Hearn and joined Boxxer last week.

The villagers are aquiver, afraid that an invasion by this prestigious dynasty will end their graceful way of life and that many of them, who are landlords, will be evicted. Hearn did not arrive where he is today, a brilliant white Essex mansion with its own helipad, private lake, stables, and swimming pond, but not without sticking a few noses out of joint. However, in a Mail interview this week, he was in mellow mood. According to him, the villagers are '100 percent secure.' No one - no one - will be evicted,' the No. 1 most significant thing.' I'm probably the best news these tenants have received since I want to keep it the way it is.'

Locals (inset top left) who are concerned about the demise of one of Britain's last coastal towns by second homes have reported that they are fighting a prospective buyer, darts and snooker boss Barry Hearn (inset top right). In the most recent update to what has been described as the 'Battle of Trevalga', residents claim Mr Hearn, 74, was given a tour of Trevalga, Cornwall, (main photo). Trevalga is home to only a cliff-top manor house, six let farms, and 17 more houses and cottages, all of which have been put up for auction.