Luca Brecel breaks silence after forfeiting snooker match for not turning up to venue
Luca Brecel handed his opponent a walkover after he did not turn up to the venue.
Former snooker world champion Luca Brecel posted a cryptic message on social media after the World Snooker Tour (WST) confirmed that he had forfeited his Xi'an Grand Prix qualifier, having not turned up to the venue in Leicester.
The Belgian Bullet's opponent, Hammad Miah, was promptly awarded a 5-0 walkover as questions were prompted about Brecel's whereabouts.
Brecel was supposed to be competing for a place in the maiden China competition, where a huge £177,000 prize is on offer in August, but he has since posted a picture of him at home on Instagram captioned: "Gezellig toch," loosely translated to 'cozy right?'
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Brecel was sat on the sofa in front of some candles and TV, relaxing, as his father confirmed that he had attempted to reach the Leicester Arena but was stuck in traffic.
"Luca was stuck in traffic towards Leicester and unfortunately could not get there in time," Brecel's father Carlo told Belgian outlet HLN. "Everything else is fine with Luca."
The WST issued a statement after their live scoring system showed that Miah had defeated the 2023 world champion 5-0 without needing to take to the table.
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“Luca Brecel has not arrived for his #XianGrandPrix qualifier this afternoon in Leicester," their statement read. “His opponent, Hammad Miah, has been awarded the match 5-0 and will be heading to China next month.”
World No.4 Brecel had competed at the Shanghai Masters the previous week, but was defeated 6-2 by home favourite Si Jiahui in the opening round.
Brecel has struggled to live up to expectations since surprising the sporting world by becoming world champion just over a year ago, defeating Mark Selby in his first-ever Crucible final.
The 29-year-old crashed out of this year's Sheffield showpiece in the first round on the opening day of the competition to Dave Gilbert, though had been struggling with illness coming into the tournament.
