Latest news with #Verhaas
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Against my beliefs to carry on' – Snooker legend retires after health battle and issues emotional statement
FINAL RACK 'Against my beliefs to carry on' – Snooker legend retires after health battle and issues emotional statement SNOOKER LEGEND Jan Verhaas has retired from snooker after revealing a two-year-long health battle. The iconic Dutch snooker referee issued an emotional statement confirming his decision. 4 Jan Verhaas has retired from snooker refereeing Credit: PA:Press Association 4 He has been struggling with pain after a motorbike crash Credit: Alamy Verhaas, 58, has been minding the felt for over 35 years for the World Snooker Tour. However, he has struggled over the last 24 months following a motorbike accident. He has admitted to suffering a lot of pain while standing up for a long time, which is required at snooker tournaments. Verhass shared his news with his 30.7k followers on X with a statement. He wrote: "A career spanning over three and a half decades, I have decided to retire from refereeing professional snooker with immediate effect. "This decision has not come easy but there are several reasons as to why. "Over the last couple of years, I have been very busy with other duties i.e. assessing and developing the skills of referees worldwide as well as assisting the Tournament Directors during our events on the WST tour. "In fact, my refereeing duties during the last few seasons were quite minimal, only about 20 per cent of my work still consisted of being a referee. "Furthermore, I had a motorbike accident two years ago which still gives me a lot of physical discomfort, especially when I am standing up for a long time. "During my whole career, I have always set myself the highest standards in all aspects of the job, something that I also expect from other referees in my job as an assessor/coach. Snooker fans baffled as star who's not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break "Because of the above-mentioned reasons, I nowadays struggle to maintain full focus and sharpness when I am out there refereeing, and I feel that I cannot give it the full 100 per cent anymore which, in my opinion, is necessary at this level. "I also think it is unfair towards the players and against my beliefs to carry on when I can't always practice what I preach anymore. "Although I will miss the refereeing, I definitely feel that it is the right decision to move on now and fully commit to my other duties on the WST tour. "I want to thank my employer World Snooker Ltd. for all those marvellous opportunities in the past and the continuous support that they are giving me in my new roles as Referees Development Manager and Assistant Tournament Director. 4 Verhaas had been working for the WST for over 35 years Credit: Getty 4 Fans have wished him well in his retirement Credit: PA:Press Association "Of course, I would like to thank all the players whom I have shared the floor with, every single one of you have made my job extremely special. "To all my colleagues, the audiences and snooker fans all over the world, thank you so much for your support and love over all these years. "I will cherish all the memories for the rest of my life!" 'One of the best' Fans have reacted to the news as they flooded the comment section wishing Verhaas well. One posted: "Not just a top referee, but a man of integrity. The game won't be the same without you. Wishing you all the best ahead Jan!" A second commented: "We will be sad to see you go Jan. World snooker has lost another great referee." A third wrote: "One of the best, enjoy your retirement." A fourth said: "Thank you for all the memories legend." Another added: "You are by far and away the best referee snooker has ever had, imo. You'll definitely be missed! Good luck in everything going forwards." Verhaas is not completely walking away from snooker as he will remain involved in a different aspect. He is taking on the role of the WST Referee Development Manager to help younger referees.
The Irish Sun
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Fans baffled as referee makes incredible blunder at World Snooker Championship while respotting pink in O'Sullivan clash
FANS were left baffled after the referee made an incredible blunder at the World Snooker Championship. The surprising gaffe came during 3 Referee Jan Verhaas misplaced the pink ball when respotting it Credit: TNTSPORTS 3 Verhaas needed to remove a chalk mark that had thrown him off Credit: TNTSPORTS 3 Verhaas has refereed six World Snooker Championship finals Credit: Alamy After Chinese cueist Pang had potted the pink ball during the 15th frame of the game, referee Jan Verhaas went to respot the ball in its spot on the table. Verhaas is one of snooker's most well-respected refs, having officiated numerous major finals, including six world championships. However, the veteran Dutchman is not infallible, as it proved at the Crucible on Sunday. As Verhaas placed the pink ball back onto the table following Pang's pot, the 25-year-old had to point out the correct position of the colour. READ MORE IN SNOOKER Pang stopped in his tracks from potting a red to address the mistake, which Verhaas admitted to and promptly corrected while seeing the funny side by sharing a joke with the snooker star. TNT Sports commentator Phil Yates said: "That is not the pink spot. It is nowhere near the pink spot." Co-commentator Neal Mouldes then explained what might have caused the initial error, saying: "He's just put it on a chalk mark, it's absolutely miles away. "It's miles away, and he was miles away. It wasn't even close, it was in the middle of nowhere." Most read in Snooker BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Yates added that he had seen the mistake for himself but did not want to question a referee of Verhaas' esteem. He said: "Jan Verhaas is such a good referee, I knew that wasn't the pink spot, but I was frightened to say anything." Ronnie O'Sullivan makes 147 in warm-up for Snooker World Championship in major hint he'll play Reacting to the incident, one fan said: "Miles away. Haha." A second said: "This must be very rare?" Another said: "Wasn't even close!" A fourth added a pair of laughing emojis to the blunder. Pang went on to pot the next red but failed to win the frame after previously scoring two in a row. That saw O'Sullivan extend his winning run to five frames in a row before he then added a sixth straight after to end the day 12-4 to the good before play resumes tomorrow. O'Sullivan, who is hunting a record-breaking eighth world title, needs just one frame to win the round two clash. World Snooker Championship 2025 WE are BACK at the Crucible for another thrilling fortnight of snooker action! There will be a new champion this year after reigning champ The likes of Shaun Murphy and John Higgins are also expected to be contenders. Latest News Snooker Explained FULL schedule and results for 2025 How much prize money can be won? Who are the BBC snooker presenters and pundits?
The Sun
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Fans baffled as referee makes incredible blunder at World Snooker Championship while respotting pink in O'Sullivan clash
FANS were left baffled after the referee made an incredible blunder at the World Snooker Championship. The surprising gaffe came during Ronnie O'Sullivan 's round two clash against Pang Junxu on Sunday afternoon. 3 3 After Chinese cueist Pang had potted the pink ball during the 15th frame of the game, referee Jan Verhaas went to respot the ball in its spot on the table. Verhaas is one of snooker 's most well-respected refs, having officiated numerous major finals, including six world championships. However, the veteran Dutchman is not infallible, as it proved at the Crucible on Sunday. As Verhaas placed the pink ball back onto the table following Pang's pot, the 25-year-old had to point out the correct position of the colour. Pang stopped in his tracks from potting a red to address the mistake, which Verhaas admitted to and promptly corrected while seeing the funny side by sharing a joke with the snooker star. TNT Sports commentator Phil Yates said: "That is not the pink spot. It is nowhere near the pink spot." Co-commentator Neal Mouldes then explained what might have caused the initial error, saying: "He's just put it on a chalk mark, it's absolutely miles away. "It's miles away, and he was miles away. It wasn't even close, it was in the middle of nowhere." Yates added that he had seen the mistake for himself but did not want to question a referee of Verhaas' esteem. He said: "Jan Verhaas is such a good referee, I knew that wasn't the pink spot, but I was frightened to say anything." Ronnie O'Sullivan makes 147 in warm-up for Snooker World Championship in major hint he'll play Reacting to the incident, one fan said: "Miles away. Haha." A second said: "This must be very rare?" Another said: "Wasn't even close!" A fourth added a pair of laughing emojis to the blunder. Pang went on to pot the next red but failed to win the frame after previously scoring two in a row. That saw O'Sullivan extend his winning run to five frames in a row before he then added a sixth straight after to end the day 12-4 to the good before play resumes tomorrow. O'Sullivan, who is hunting a record-breaking eighth world title, needs just one frame to win the round two clash.
