Latest news with #DesislavaBozhilova
Wales Online
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
World Championship final ref who clashed with Ronnie O'Sullivan giving away special item
World Championship final ref who clashed with Ronnie O'Sullivan giving away special item Snooker referee Desislava Bozhilova, who oversaw the recent World Championship final between Zhao Xintong and Mark Williams, is auctioning off a memorable item from the match Desislava Bozhilova is raising money for a good cause (Image: Getty ) A history-making snooker referee who had a run-in with Ronnie O'Sullivan is giving away a vital part of her attire in the name of charity. Desislava Bozhilova oversaw the recent World Championship final, which saw Welsh legend Mark Williams beaten 18-12 by Zhao Xintong, who became China's first Crucible champion. The Bulgarian, one of the top referees on the World Snooker Tour, became just the second woman to oversee a World Championship final after Michaela Tabb, who took charge of the 2009 and 2012 finals. Bozhilova is also the first female to referee all three Triple Crown finals, having previously taken charge of the UK Championship and Masters showpieces. Having officiated the biggest match in the sport, Bozhilova could be forgiven for hanging on to every memento from the occasion, but the generous 32-year-old is auctioning off her white gloves from the final to charity. She posted on social media: 'Do you want my gloves from the final? There is an auction on Wednesday (May 21) at 6pm UK time for 24 hours on my Instagram page. All the money goes to charity!' It is unclear which charity will benefit, but she has confirmed the starting bid will be €150 (£126). The auction will be hosted on her Instagram page, where bids can be placed in the comments section. Bozhilova received a special trophy from her home federation to mark refereeing the World Championship final. Sharing a picture of the impressive trophy, she posted on Instagram: "Thank you all so much for the kind words regarding refereeing the World Final. I loved every second of it, the atmosphere was amazing and it was a pleasure to be involved in a game like that. Article continues below Bozhilova is the first female referee to take charge of all three Triple Crown finals (Image: Getty ) "Congratulations to Zhao Xintong on an amazing win, and also to Mark Williams for making it to his fifth World Final. Special thanks to Oleg Velinov and everyone involved in the heartfelt surprise during the final! Shout out to this amazing artist Daba (the Bulgarian artist that crafted the trophy) and the sculpture he made for me!' Ahead of the final, Bozhilova opened up about what the appointment meant to her. She said: "It was an amazing feeling when I was given the news. It is what I have worked towards for many years, it has been my dream. It will be different to any other final because of the atmosphere at the Crucible. "Since I started working in snooker I have learned everything from the more experienced referees. They give advice and tell us how to improve. There is a lot of team work and we support each other." Bozhilova's career has also featured a clash with Ronnie O'Sullivan during his Crucible quarter-final defeat to Stuart Bingham in 2024. With the match at 10-10, the Rocket refused to come to the table while fans following the match on the other table filtered back into the arena after a break. Bozhilova re-spots the blacks as Ronnie O'Sullivan watches on during his 2024 quarter-final defeat to Stuart Bingham (Image:) Article continues below After asking fans to take their seats quickly, Bozhilova then gestured to O'Sullivan to come back to the table, but the seven-time world champion remained unconvinced. 'But we might wait 20 minutes,' said Bozhilova. O'Sullivan replied: 'It's not 20 minutes. Just chill, chill.' Bozhilova then insisted: 'I'm chilled.' It was the second incident of the day between O'Sullivan and Bozhilova, with the Rocket turning down a red in the 12th frame after being left unhappy with how the black had been respotted.
Wales Online
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
World snooker final referee Desislava Bozhilova's close relationship with fellow ref and salary
World snooker final referee Desislava Bozhilova's close relationship with fellow ref and salary Desislava Bozhilova is the referee in charge of this year's World Snooker Championship final between Mark Williams and Zhao Xintong Desislava Bozhilova, right, and Proletina Velichkova, left (Image: ) While the achievements of 50-year-old Mark Williams and 28-year-old sensation Zhao Xintong in reaching the World Snooker Championship final have understandably taken the headlines, the role of the woman officiating today's Crucible battle should not be overlooked. Desislava Bozhilova is refereeing her first World Snooker Championship final at just 32, completing her own Triple Crown after previously taking charge of the Masters and UK Championship finals in 2022. Her first major final was only in 2016 when she was in charge at the Riga Masters in Latvia. Bozhilova has become something of a celebrity herself in the snooker world, earning a strong reputation for her refereeing skills, while also sharing other aspects of her life with fans on social media. She passed her international refereeing exams in 2012 and was previously a talented snooker and pool player herself. The Bulgarian has interests and talents far outside the game, holding a master's degree in landscape architecture from the University of Forestry in Sofia. She is also a passionate baker who regularly showcases her creations on social media. Article continues below How much does snooker referee Desislava Bozhilova get paid? Most World Snooker professional referees reportedly earn a base salary of £20,750 every season, with a higher base rate and further bonuses available for the top officials who referee deep into major tournaments. The large majority of snooker referees do not receive a base salary, though, and the instead get paid per day - rather than per game. This can be up to £500 for a session. Many referees are part-time and combine their snooker work with other jobs and interests. Travel, accommodation, and meal expenses are covered, easing the financial burden on referees during long competitions. Desislava Bozhilova's close relationship with fellow referee Bozhilova regularly shares personal updates with her nearly 40,000 Instagram followers and has a close relationship with fellow female snooker referee Proletina Velichkova. The pair post regular pictures together, including annual Valentine's Day selfies. Velichkova, also Bulgarian, officiated her first match on the WST on home soil at the 2012 Bulgarian Open, just 18 months after spotting an advert in a newspaper for Bulgarian snooker referees. She is now a regular at major ranking events and hopes to reach the heights of Bozhilova , taking charge of numerous matches in the Home Nations Series over the past couple of years. The pair are very supportive of each other's achievements, with Velichlova posting a picture with Bozhilova's family and friends ahead of this year's final. Ronnie O'Sullivan clash During a tense quarter-final match between The Rocket and Stuart Bingham last year, O'Sullivan expressed dissatisfaction with how Bozhilova had respotted the black ball before declining a red during the 12th frame, reports the Mirror. As the match approached its nail-biting conclusion, tied at 10 frames each, the audience began to filter back into the arena while another game featuring Kyren Wilson and John Higgins was about to resume following an interval. Ronnie O'Sullivan and referee Desislava Bozhilova had a frosty exchange at the 2024 World Championship (Image: Getty Images ) Article continues below With the crowd noise rising, O'Sullivan returned to his seat, preparing for a pivotal shot at a red. It was then that Bozhilova addressed the spectators, requesting: "Would you take your seats quickly, and then hold the door closed for a minute." As The Rocket hesitated to approach the table amid crowd noise, referee Bozhilova attempted to nudge him by saying: "But we might wait 20 minutes." To which O'Sullivan retorted humorously with: "It's not 20 minutes. Just chill, chill." "I'm chilled," replied the referee tersely. This chilly exchange didn't quite boost O'Sullivan during the match, although he did pot a red in the top-right corner. However, he ultimately succumbed to a 13-10 defeat against his adversary Bingham, shattering his dreams of securing an eighth title at the Crucible.
