Golfing stars Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood will be among the VIPs in Wimbledon’s Royal Box who will be asked not to watch the upcoming England World Cup match on their phones during play.
Everton fan Fleetwood will have to skip watching his club’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in England’s match against DR Congo on Wednesday, after All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said Wimbledon will “discourage” stars from using their phones in the Royal Box.
Play on Centre Court is set to clash with the 5 pm (1600 GMT) kick off this afternoon, and with Wimbledon confirming the football will not be shown on any of its screens, fans will have to choose between the championships and the World Cup.
While guests will not be stopped from watching the match on their phones, those in the Royal Box have a different set of rules to follow.
Boulton said: “We’re not going to be showing the football on any of the big screens around the grounds, but clearly if people have got their phones, we’re not going to prevent people from watching the football.
“We do discourage people in the Royal Box from using their phones anyway.”
Several of the golfing stars who will sit in Centre Court’s Royal Box on Wednesday are avid football fans, with Justin Rose backing Chelsea and Luke Donald a Spurs fan.
The sportsmen got a warm reception from fans as they arrived at the entrance to the Royal Box on Wednesday morning, as throngs of guests gathered outside Centre Court to watch them pose for photos.
McIlroy, wearing the green jacket awarded to him as this year’s Masters champion, Rose, Fleetwood and Donald were joined by Italy’s Edoardo Molinari and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn as they waved to applauding fans.
Centre Court will later play host to the second round of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles, with both Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner taking to the court in separate showdowns later in the afternoon.
