A spectator was ejected from the World Snooker Championship semi-final between Wu Yize and Mark Allen on Saturday night for shouting about the 'Epstein Files'. The incident occurred during the deciding frame of the match at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The disruption came as Wu Yize and Mark Allen were about to commence the 33rd and final frame of their tense semi-final clash. A voice from the crowd reportedly yelled, "Never forget the Epstein Files," referencing the documents related to the activities of financier Jeffrey Epstein. Officials immediately intervened to remove the individual from the venue.
Wu Yize ultimately won the match 17-16, securing his place in the World Championship final. The victory came after Mark Allen missed a chance to win the match in the penultimate frame.
This interruption followed another unusual occurrence in the same semi-final on Friday, where a bizarre stalemate between Wu and Allen resulted in the longest frame ever recorded at the World Championship. That frame saw a protracted period of safety shots, leading to discussions about a re-rack before play eventually resumed. The drawn-out nature of the frame was described by some as "embarrassing scenes."
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In a separate semi-final on Saturday, Shaun Murphy defeated John Higgins 17-15 to advance to his fifth World Championship final. Earlier in the tournament, other incidents of crowd disruption have occurred, including a fan whose shout interrupted Mark Allen's shot, leading to an ejection and commentary from BBC pundits calling for such disruptions to cease.
