Raheem Sterling was absent from England’s round of 16 due to a family matter. Now the reason is known.
The English national team will have to do without Raheem Sterling for the time being at the World Cup in Qatar. “He’s on his way home, back to England,” said team manager Gareth Southgate after the quarter-finals against Senegal (0-3).
Sterling missed the encounter “because of a family matter,” the English association said. According to the BBC, Sterling’s home in London was broken into while his family was present. The perpetrators were believed to be armed.
Southgate “didn’t want to go into too much detail”, but emphasized: “We have to give him time to solve this and to be there for his family. That’s the most important thing right now.”
The 27-year-old Chelsea striker started the first two group games of the 1966 world champions against Iran (6-2) and the USA (0-0). For the third game against Wales (3-0) Phil Foden took his place, who was also in the starting line-up against Senegal.