Matthew Selt has admitted he let himself down with his behaviour following the scenes that followed him being knocked out of German Masters qualifying. The 39-year-old’s clash with Artemijs Zizins went to a deciding frame, only for the Latvian to prevail as he flukily potted a red on what was essentially match ball.
The Englishman reacted furiously, crying “No! Oh my god!” before slapping his thighs.
Moments later, he then appeared to throw an object away from his table and stood up from his seat, going over to Zizins who was clearing up the table and effectively ended the match early.
Selt initially appeared to behave with dignity as he congratulated his teenage opponent, only to then he heard making a scene off camera. And further noise interrupted Zizins as he tried to exchange pleasantries with the official.
The referee shouted “Matthew, please,” but the world No.33 wasn’t having any of it. He responded by saying “Shut up,” as he continued his extraordinary strop.
However, the 2019 Indian Open champion has now appeared to see the light. On his Instagram story, despite stopping short of issuing an actual apology, he did acknowledge he had reacted poorly.
“A fantastic game which was played in great spirit!” he wrote. “Let myself down with the outburst at the end which was just pure emotion after match ball had been fluked and it was a hard defeat to take.
“But @artemiizhizhin definitely deserved the win and I told him two or three times at the end well played and good luck. He’s a great player with a great future in the game.”
Essex-born Selt is a well-known figure on the World Snooker Tour and has appeared in four World Championship tournaments. However, he’s yet to win a single match at the Crucible, and failed to qualify for the event last season.
And the controversy over his behaviour has overshadowed the latest big win for Zizins. Having earned a two-year World Snooker Tour card, he’s enjoyed a number of notable victories and has now qualified for another ranking tournament.
The German Masters takes place from January 27 until February 2 at the Tempodrom in Berlin.
