Is Harry Kane's World Cup celebration out of order in snooker after Stan Moody slams Kyren Wilson's 'disgusting' Crucible antics?
By Desmond Kane
Updated 29/06/2026 at 22:52 GMT+1
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Harry Kane's trademark goal celebrations were in full flow in New York on Saturday night after the England captain headed the Three Lions past Panama in their final group stage match at the 2026 World Cup.
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Bayern Munich striker Kane became his country's all-time top scorer at the finals in the 2-0 win over Panama, moving onto 11 goals, one clear of Gary Lineker, and embarked upon his unique jump and low fist pump combo to acknowledge the historic moment.
Which might be well in order on planet football but could be viewed as bang out of order in the more restrained environs of professional snooker.
It might be a stretch to imagine a snooker player replicating Kane any time soon unless, like Alfie Burden, a former Arsenal youth player, you end up on top of the table after claiming your solitary ranking event at the Shoot Out in Blackpool.
But is the Kane fist pump among prize potters symbolic of a direction of travel in modern life moving away from a sense of decorum towards outright disrespect?
When a roaring Robert Milkins scrambled into the World Championship last 16 with a dramatic 10-9 victory over Pang Junxu two years ago, 'The Milkman' insisted he was not being "disrespectful".
But he was quick to reflect: "It's not nice, and I shouldn't really do it."
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'Look at the emotion' - Milkins battles to win over Pang after epic
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'Unprofessional and immature'
Peter Ebdon, the 2002 world champion, frequently indulged in fist pumps during and after winning matches, but seemed to forget himself when he lost 6-5 to Darren Morgan in the final frame of a first-round contest at the 1996 Masters.
An energised Morgan embarked upon a weird and wonderful jig and an aggressive handshake before racing out of the old Wembley Conference Centre.
"Personally and on a professional level, I would never have levelled that at another player," Ebdon told reporters. "It was very unprofessional and very immature. I'd never have done that, but given the person in question, I'm not surprised."
A tearful Ebdon had clearly buried the memory of the Morgan match after his marathon 13-12 win over Stephen Lee in the last 16 at the 2001 Crucible prompted a massive outpouring of elation.
"The way he reacted, anyone would have thought he had won the title or was going to pick up the FA Cup," said Lee after Ebdon bellowed 'Come on'! several times at a stunned Crucible.
Lee demanded an apology such was the feeling of disrespect he felt in the moment.
Mark Selby and John Higgins, both four-time world champions, men who treat the game with the utmost respect, both enjoy a fist pump or two in victory, but you cannot please everyone.
A wounded Stuart Bingham berated Selby after his 17-15 loss in the 2021 Crucible semi-finals.
"To celebrate before he potted the game ball, maybe I lost a little bit of respect for him really," said the 2015 world champion.
"I wouldn't do that. so I suppose I don't expect other people to do it. It's put a bit of a sour taste on the match."
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'He's done it the hard way!' - Higgins books Masters final spot with phenomenal comeback
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'The celebration was disgusting'
For some players, the sight of an opponent rejoicing in their triumph with too much bravado continues to leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
Stan Moody, the former world junior champion from Halifax, did not hold back in his assessment of Kyren Wilson's reaction after the 2024 world champion recovered from trailing 7-3 to complete a 10-7 in the first round at the Crucible in April.
"The celebration at the end, I thought it were a bit disgusting, to be honest," said Moody in a recent interview with the Metro.
"A world champion, world No. 2, I think it were a bit out of order, but it is what it is. I think Shaun Murphy [the 2005 world champion] said that he’s got every right to do that.
"He has got every right to do it, but I think a lot of people looked at that and said he shouldn’t really be doing that.
"I wouldn’t have done that at his stage against a young lad, first time there, but everyone’s different, you know? It obviously, meant a lot to him to beat me, so good on him."
'A bit silly'
What goes around, comes around.
Murphy previously attracted derision from Wilson for wheeling out some massive fist pumps after recovering from 10-4 behind to complete a 17-12 win in their World Championship semi-final in 2021.
"I think it looks a bit silly, it’s not for me," said Wilson. "Shaun’s got to do what he’s got to do to try and get to me."
Murphy has continually defended his decision to deploy the fist pump whenever the mood takes him.
Most recently during his run to the final at last month's World Championship when he lost 18-17 to Wu Yize.
"Fist pumps, I personally don’t have a problem with it. I think we need that in sport," he told reporters.
"I think it’s something that snooker, we don’t have that in common with other sports.
"It was celebrating my shots at my time, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it."
David Gilbert, a player curiously dubbed 'The Angry Farmer', was left unimpressed with similar Murphy antics during a 6-5 defeat in the first round of the 2022 UK Championship.
But former world No. 3 Neal Foulds does not see an issue with such conduct.
"In the 2021 World Championship he [Murphy] played so well, and he was pumping his fists," said the TNT Sports expert.
"I think Kyren Wilson said it was very theatrical, but it was being played in a theatre, you know! We have to accept that these guys are going to celebrate the good things that happen.
"We can't stop people being happy about doing well.
"Are we going to stop the footballers celebrating goals next?
"If you don't like it, unlucky."
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Harry Kane of England celebrates after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between Panama and England at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 27, 2026.
Image credit: Getty Images
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'A mistake'
Stephen Maguire did not like being on the receiving end but said the sight of Murphy "giving it some" inspired him to complete a 13-9 win over his old rival in the last 16 at the Crucible two years ago.
"The frame he won, the first frame, he should never have won it," said Maguire, who was adamant his opponent's timing had backfired.
"I was sitting there hating myself and calling myself every name under the sun. Then the fist pump came out, and I forgot about all that. I just thought, 'you’re having it'. All my attention went on him then. He made a mistake then."
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'What a pot!' - Maguire pots green with double, clears table and celebrates wildly
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'We are f****** back'
When Joe Johnson won the world title with an 18-12 win over Steve Davis as a 150-1 outsider 40 years ago, the popular Bradford player displayed a classy sense of understatement by shaking hands with Davis and waving to the crowd.
But this came only three years after Davis had questionably leapt into the air to celebrate an 18-6 final win over Cliff Thorburn in Sheffield.
Davis was also on the receiving end when Dennis Taylor held his cue over his head after the 1985 black-ball final like he had won weightlifting gold in their famous 18-17 epic.
This came only months after another Northern Irish icon, 'The People's Champion' Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, stepped out at the Wembley Conference Centre to defeat Romford's Davis 5-4 in the first round of the 1985 Masters.
He was cheered into the venue with more fanfare than the boxer Frank Bruno and mobbed by a huge crowd as he shouted ”we are f*****g back" with his cue and a blizzard of fists lapped up by the locals.
Of course, there has to be some natural outpouring of emotion in such a mentally excoriating environment, but some manage to contain themselves better than others.
Perhaps we are wrongly living under the illusion that men in bow-ties playing professional sport for prize money are not as motivated as footballers at a World Cup.
While snooker is viewed by some as a gentlemanly game, it has psychological blows just as brutal as the noble art of boxing.
Like it or loathe it, getting under your opponent's skin by veering towards gamesmanship has always been part of the deal.
Even in the golden TV days of the 1980s, when the familiar main protagonists were held up as the ultimate ambassadors of good sportsmanship.
The fist pump has become a visible, and some players - perhaps figures such as Murphy - will suggest a viable tactic within a player's armoury.
Not only as a natural reaction, but a mechanism to further deflate your opponent. Irksome yes, but not illegal.
Whether it truly works in anybody's favour at the very elite level is debatable.
Indeed, some players prefer to win or lose on the edge, relishing this nature of warfare and what it brings to their own game.
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Relive ‘ugly’ 2018 shoulder barge incident between O’Sullivan and Carter at Crucible
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'We all notice'
A pumped-up Ali Carter celebrated his 13-9 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the second round of the 2018 World Championship with several fist pumps, but has also previously suggested that he does not mind witnessing it during matches.
When Zhou Yuelong led 9-7 overnight in the second round of the Crucible seven years ago, celebrating after edging a key frame, the two-time world finalist returned to reel off six straight frames for a 13-9 win.
”Of course, I noticed the fist pump," Carter told TNT Sports. "We all notice it, and believe me as a sportsman when someone gives it the fist you hate it.
”Don’t get me wrong, the competitiveness of it all is what we’re all after.
”When I won, I thought: ‘you can give it the fist pump at 9-7 up, I’ll give it the fist pump when I’ve turned you over at the end of the day'.
”He’s young, he is inexperienced, and maybe he’ll learn from that."
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‘What a finish’ - Wilson beats Zhou on a respotted black to reach Scottish Open final
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It would be fair to say, Zhou did not learn from the experience.
Having led Gary Wilson 5-3 in the Scottish Open semi-finals in 2023, Zhou made a 69 break and potted the green in the decider before releasing the fist pump in relief.
He managed to lose the match on a re-spotted black after Wilson recovered from needing three four-point snookers.
He said: ”We have all done it once in our careers, and never again, and maybe that's the time he will never count his chickens until he is really, really over the line.
”Silly things can happen. What a sport.”
Wilson celebrated his big moment fairly wildly. And with a fist pump.
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Late call-up Burden beats Bingham to Shoot Out crown - then stands on table!
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