Snooker star slams opponent for 'deliberate' act after Crucible dream ends - 'He is s****'

Snooker star Tom Ford has called opponent Ross Muir “s***e” after suffering a shock 10-7 defeat in World Championship qualifying on Monday. And the No21 could face disciplinary action because of a rant in which he claimed Muir deliberately “messed the balls up on purpose” to upset him.

Ford, 41, said it was the worst defeat he has had in 25 years as a professional and fume “good players don’t do this” in reference to what he felt was Muir’s gamesmanship. In a now deleted post, Ford wrote: “Lost last night in the world championships this year. In the last 25 years as a professional, this is the worst loss I've ever had as (a) professional snooker player.

“I can't believe how it went. My opponent deliberately played slow and messed the balls up on purpose. Good players don't do this. His tactics worked, good luck to him as he knew what he was doing. Ps he is s***e.”

A number of fans hit back at the claims, with one replying: “Sour grapes.” Another accused Ford of being "classless."

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And another added: "Shocking way to approach a game. Tom was not playing well and Ross was. To say anything like this is completely disrespectful to Ross. He thought he was in for an easy game and Ross gave him more than he clearly could handle. Pathetic."

Leicester man Ford has never made it beyond the second round at the Crucible and Muir is looking to qualify for the World Championship for the first time.

At the time of writing Scotsman Muir, who is ranked 76th in the world, was trailing Ben Woollaston 3-2 in the fourth round of qualifying.

Several high-profile names have already been dumped out during the qualifiers including former champion Stuart Bingham and Stephen Maguire.

The World Championships proper begin on Saturday and run until May 5. The draw takes place on Thursday evening.

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