Keep your cool, urges Southgate

GARETH SOUTHGATE has warned his players that on-field discipline needs to be at an all-time high after the introduction of tough new regulations for this summer’s World Cup. Football lawmakers confirmed that players in Russia could be given red cards for off-the-ball incidents even after play has restarted if they are spotted by the Video Assistant Referee. The new regulations came into force on Friday. That prompted the England

manager to call a meeting with his players at the team hotel on Saturday morning ahead of their international friendly against Nigeria. Asked if Raheem Sterling’s booking for diving was the kind of behaviour he needed to crack down on in view of the threat posed by VAR, Southgate said: ‘It’s a conversation we had this morning with everybody, for that very reason. ‘Not that we are looking to get away with anything, but if we thought we could, it’s gone. We have to be vigilant in all areas of the pitch. ‘We’re not 100-per-cent sure yet until we have the full briefing on whether this situation — something happening 20 minutes before halftime and then something being implemented at half-time — is a reality. ‘But wherever there have been tackles we’ve had in recent games that would be pulled up, might be yellow or red cards. For all our players, it’s something we have to be aware of.’ Southgate said his players had taken it on board. ‘They recognised that’s going to come in,’ he said. ‘How it’s implemented is going to be key because if you look at any corner, for example, if you go looking for infringements you could find hundreds. How it is interpreted is going to be vital for the consistency in the tournament.’