Luca Brecel broke snooker’s golden dress code rule as he sported an unlikely outfit on day one of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield. The defending champion turned up to the Crucible to face David Gilbert, but was immediately quizzed by referee Paul Collier over his appearance.
The match official spoke to the Belgian Bullet as he entered the arena without the usual bow tie. Snooker’s dress code at the World Championship requires participants to look the part and Brecel’s opponent adhered to the rules, wearing his bow tie.
But Brecel, who has previously been open about his dislike of the bow tie, broke off with his shirt wide open as he was reportedly given special dispensation to break the dress code.
The Sun claim that Brecel was able to go without a bow tie after receiving permission from the World Snooker Tour. He likely will have seen his request granted due to illness, having been under the weather before travelling from Belgium to Sheffield for the sport’s showpiece event.
“The bow tie is just horrible,” Brecel told the Metro last year. “I lose about 20 per cent of my game when I play with a bow tie and I think there are other players have said it as well backstage.
“Maybe loosen up a bit with the dress code because some shots you feel tight because of the shirt or the trousers and everything. I understand it’s an elite sport and it looks good on TV probably, but we need to work something out there.”
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