SOUTHGATE: I MUST KEEP STARS SAFE
Southgate desperate to go to Russia but he must allay fears
GARETH Southgate may want to focus on the 23 players he plans to select for this summer’s World Cup but the circumstances that have led to the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats demanded his attention yesterday.
England’s manager acknowledged the gravity of the situation as the political tension continues to escalate between the UK and the tournament hosts. In tandem with the Football Association’s head of strategy and communications, he did his best to address the issue.
He received questions he would not normally expect on the day of a squad announcement. For instance, would the team chef be feeding England’s footballers with local produce? And to whom would the FA party turn to in emergency should the Russians now retaliate by expelling British diplomats?
Southgate said he planned to discuss the political crisis with his players next week in the hope of allaying any fears by explaining the steps that are being taken to ensure the squad, the FA staff and the supporters are safe when they travel to Russia in June.
‘It’s probably something I would raise with them just because it is so visible at the moment,’ he said. ‘It is important whenever there is speculation and uncertainty that you put it into context for everybody.’
He was asked how he might respond to a player who did have concerns.
‘Always when we’re preparing for an away match, it’s important that our players and their families and our supporters feel safe,’ he said. ‘And feel there are plans in place to look after them properly.
‘We need them to be able to focus on playing football with as little as possible going on in the background to interfere with their performance. We would always have briefings, meetings. And our security guys would keep us up to speed with what’s going on. That is very important to us.’
Sat beside Southgate was Rob Sullivan, who worked as head of strategic planning at the Conservative Party prior to joining the FA.
Sullivan said: ‘It’s important to remember we have a very experienced security adviser, who has worked on several tournaments. He has been out there working with our people and security experts.’
Southgate accepted that his players may not be able to shut out their concerns if the situation with Russia remains unresolved come the summer.
‘We’re all human beings and we’re all affected by events around us and things that might distract us from our job,’ he said. ‘That’s why it’s important as a manager that I’ve got the right support around the players, around the support team as well because they’re in the same position.’
A chef is part of that support team and only yesterday did it occur to Southgate that there could be an issue around the food during the tournament. Only last week one Russia expert told the BBC he would not dismiss the possibility of some kind of chemical attack on the England party.
Asked if they would consume locally sourced food, Southgate said: ‘I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t. We always take a chef away with us and part of his responsibility is to source the produce.’
But Southgate (below) was clear on one thing yesterday. He has no desire to see England boycott the World Cup and very much hopes the relations between the two countries soon improve.
‘Look, clearly it’s a really serious matter and it’s developing very quickly,’ he said. ‘But my job as the England football manager is to concentrate on the football and prepare the team.
‘The only thing at this stage that is of highest importance is the safety and security of our players and absolutely of our travelling supporters. So they’re the things we’re focused on.
‘But we are desperate to go to a World Cup and that’s really where my remit ends.’
Sullivan was asked how the absence of a diplomatic service, or a reduced one, could affect planning. ‘We have that flow of information from within the Foreign Office and we work closely with the security and policing services,’ said Sullivan. And the fans? ‘ We have the England supporters club, which is an official travel group, and we have responsibility to those guys. We do not have a formal responsibility to everyone who might travel out there but clearly we have a sense of wider duty to those individuals who are spending hard- earned money to follow England.’ Southgate said he was not overly concerned at this stage, however. ‘I am clearly aware of the dynamic that’s going on but I’ve travelled the world and been to countries where I’ve been warned about where to walk and where to go and two days later I have ended up running down the street because I have realised you can live in fear or you can get on with things,’ he said.
The England manager said they would, of course, liaise with the clubs.
He added: ‘We always liaise with the clubs wherever we go. I think the players would be the biggest consideration, if they do have any concerns and clearly with the amount of spotlight on the issue, they’ll have questions to ask and they will have things they are uncertain of.
‘So we have to make sure we give them all the facts we have, allay fears they have and make sure they and their families are safe and secure.’