Chinese snooker player Wu Yize was subjected to a racist comment at the Snooker Shoot Out tournament after fans had also chanted for scandal-hit BBC MasterChef star Gregg Wallace.
Yize, 21, who was knocked out at the semi-final stage in Leicester by eventual winner Tom Ford, had his last-16 match against Elliot Slessor marred by an unsavoury incident. In a nail-biting game that saw Yize edge out Slessor 46-43, a member of the audience made a distasteful remark.
As both players were battling for safety on the yellow, Yize was lining up a shot when a man in the crowd shouted ‘egg fried rice’ in an apparent attempt to distract him. This caused murmurs of disapproval among the spectators, but Yize seemed to ignore the insult.
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The referee responded by calling for “order,” but this did little to quell the noise. The Eurosport commentators didn’t seem to notice the heckling, and Yize returned to his seat without lodging a complaint.
This incident has led to further criticism of the crowd behaviour at the Morningside Arena. The tournament is unique in professional snooker as it encourages crowd noise, allowing spectators to shout out during frames, reports the Express.
(Image: PA)
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However, many believe this has gone too far. In another match featuring Slessor and Mark Joyce, members of the crowd were heard singing “There’s only one Gregg Wallace,” in a seemingly sarcastic show of support for the embattled Masterchef host.
The 60-year-old TV star is stepping away from presenting the BBC cooking show while allegations of historical misconduct are under investigation. Wallace has been accused of making sexual comments towards staff and celebrity guests on a range of programmes, but denies any wrongdoing.
Fans expressed their frustration on X, with one saying: “Great tournament idea but one or two absolute dinlows ruined it for a lot of snooker fans who had paid good money to be there. I suspect a lot of those people were super-annoyed actually being there… most of the fans seemed a lot of fun but the couple of rogue ones should have been removed.”
(Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Another snooker fan lamented on social media: “Had to turn it off last night, the crowd were insufferable, was so cringey my feet were curling out through my socks.” Meanwhile, a third viewer shared their dismay, adding: “Since I began attending the Shootout in 2020, I have never been so appalled.”
The annual ranking tournament aims to draw in a younger crowd with its unique twist on traditional snooker rules. The event features a randomised draw each round and quickfire matches that are decided over a single frame lasting no more than 10 minutes.
Tom Ford clinched his first-ever ranking title in Leicester, while Zhou Yuelong, a fellow countryman of runner-up Yize, scored the highest break of the tournament with a stellar 101.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
