England bustup: ‘Families have disagreements' — Southgate
A training camp altercation between Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez was likened to a family argument by England manager Gareth Southgate yesterday after the players’ club rivalry spilled over into the international arena.
A day after they clashed on the field during a high-profile Premier League game between Manchester City and Liverpool, Sterling and Gomez were involved in what the English Football Association described as a “disturbance in a private team area” after they linked with the national team.
Sterling was apparently the aggressor in the exchange — the winger acknowledged in a post on Instagram that “emotions got the better of me” — and was dropped by
Southgate for the European Championship qualifier against Montenegro tomorrow.
“Both Joe and I have had words and figured things out and moved on,” Sterling wrote.
Southgate took a conciliatory tone after bringing forward his planned media appearance by 24 hours to address the issue.
“I love all of my players,” he said. “We are like a family and all family have disagreements. Most important for any family is to come through those disagreements and work through them. I don’t expect as a manager to never have to deal with things that are unexpected or difficult.
“It’s part and parcel of the job and part and parcel of working with elite players. Our focus now is to move forward.”
Southgate appeared to absolve Gomez of any blame in the incident, saying: “Raheem in his post last night explained for a very brief moment his emotions ran over. It would be correct to say that’s not the same for Joe.” Southgate did not elaborate on an apparent scratch beneath Gomez’s right eye that was seen as he trained on Tuesday, or suggestions that Sterling was initially sent home before being summoned back to camp.
He did not mention Jordan Henderson by name, following reports the Liverpool captain was central to breaking up the altercation, but said he was thankful for the intervention of calmer heads.
“We have some excellent senior players who’ve played a part in bringing everyone together,” he said.
The decision to withdraw Sterling for the match against Montenegro deprives England of possibly their best player, with the City star having scored eight goals and set up five more during Euro 2020 qualification.
England can secure their place in next year’s finals with a win at Wembley, on what will be the team’s 1000th fixture.
One of Southgate’s biggest successes has been his ability to create a strong bond between players, no matter their club backgrounds. That hasn’t always been the case with England.