World snooker semi-final halted as referee confronts fan and issues statement

Snooker referee Marcel Eckardt has issued a statement after causing a stir by confronting a fan at the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield.

The official spoke out late on Sunday night after the semi-final match between Jak Jones and Stuart Bingham saw a delay as he dealt with a difficult situation. Eckardt said he was aware of "misbehaviour" from an area of the arena throughout the final frame, with coughing noises heard as Bingham was about to take a shot.

The incident happened towards the end of the match as Welshman Jones closed in on victory. Eckhardt approached the spectator after Bingham missed a pot amid noise from that area of the audience.

READ MORE: Wales' Jak Jones stuns snooker to reach World Championship final and win fortune

The referee said to the fan: "Are you alright, sir? One more sound and I will ask you to leave." The referee then continued to address the person, who seemed to deny doing anything wrong. Eckardt could be heard saying: "Who was it who made the sound then?"

Eurosport commentators seemed unimpressed with the referee, saying: "Goodness, Jak Jones needs to concentrate here. I don't know what Marcel is doing getting involved with this. Can't we just get on with the game, please? This is the biggest moment of Jak Jones' life."

Eckardt later released a statement, saying: "To clear things up: I witnessed misbehaviour on multiple occasions coming from a specific area in the crowd during the last frame which in the end forced a player to miss a crucial shot. I do realise that the timing wasn’t great, but I felt that I had to say something.

"It took too long and it was ott considering the circumstances. I do apologise to everyone who didn’t understand what was going on. Lesson learnt."

Welshman Jones went on to win the match 17-12 to book his place in the final, which starts on Sunday.