Jan Verhaas – one of snooker’s most respected and leading referees on the circuit – has spoken of his sadness after he lost his director role with one of the sport’s main governing bodies.

The referee took to Twitter to say he was “absolutely gutted” to lose his position as director of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) following an annual general meeting held on Friday (December 20).

Minutes from the meeting announced that Verhass as well as Dominic Dale, Joe Perry, Mike Dunn and Peter Lines stood for election to be on the board. Verhass has been on the board for the past three years.

Jan Verhass. Picture by Monique Limbos

But results from the election meant that Mike Dunn and Peter Lines would stand as WPBSA directors moving forward.

The decision prompted Verhass, who has taken charge of six World Championship finals, to tweet: “Absolutely gutted to have lost my position on the @WPBSAofficial board of directors, I had so much more to give.

“Massive thank you to my colleague directors and players for your guidance and support, especially today. Means a lot!”

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson acknowledged the work carried out by Verhaas during his three-year stint as a director.

He said: “I would like to extend my thanks to Jan Verhaas for all of his hard work during his time on the board of the WPBSA. Jan has successfully overseen a number of projects, in particular the introduction of the new Rulebook for Snooker and Billiards which was launched this August.

“He also undertaken significant work in helping to maintain the high standards of officiating in our sport globally, much of which remains ongoing and we look forward to continuing to work with Jan and his expert panel of senior referees.”

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