The controversial star, a former two-time world champion, was playing an exhibition match against Jimmy White in County Durham when he took exception to being called for a foul shot by match official Terry Riley. Higgins reacted by punching referee Riley as the 400-strong crowd looked on. The attacked arbitrator then grabbed The Hurricane around the throat to stop him throwing any further blows.

Higgins is no stranger to clashes with officialdom. His volatile personality earned him several suspensions at the height of his fame. Most famously, he was banned from snooker for a year after headbutting an official at the 1986 UK Championships. Despite these incidents, Higgins was considered the “People’s Champion” throughout his career and his rapid fire potting style created the blueprint for modern-day snooker maverick Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Pitch battles

The Higgins incident is the latest in a long line of sport-related violence. Wantaway Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton is currently under police investigation for a training ground assault on team mate Ousmane Dabo. French talisman Zinedine Zidane tarnished the World Cup final after being sent off for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi. Manchester United icon Eric Cantona was banned from the game for nine months after his infamous kung-fu attack on a Crystal Palace fan while a recent friendly game between Queen’s Park Rangers and China erupted into a mass brawl.

And it isn’t just footballers with a propensity for explosions of violence. When Mike Tyson found himself over-matched by Evander Holyfield, his only recourse was to earn himself a disqualification by biting off a chunk of Evander’s ear. Former England rugby star Wade Dooley, a policeman by day, famously perforated the ear drum of Scotland’s Doddy Weir with a punch.

But undoubtedly the worst case of all is that of Zimbabwean cricketer Mark Vermeulen. The all-rounder, playing league cricket in Lancashire, famously fought with spectators who made the mistake of sledging him as he was fielding. He was banned from English cricket for three years. Far more seriously, the troubled star went on to be charged with arson in November 2006 following a suspicious fire at the Zimbabwean Cricket Academy in Harare.