Players step up security after Sterling burglary
Squad members sign up to round-the-clock protection ‘Shaken’ striker flew home after break-in at his house
Worried England World Cup players have put security guards on 24-hour alert following the burglary on Raheem Sterling’s home that has heightened fears they are being targeted by organised gangs. The Football Association has reminded players to review their arrangements.
Sterling, who was described by sources as being “shaken”, returned to England on Sunday night. His participation in the World Cup is in jeopardy after his Surrey home was burgled. Police confirmed they were investigating a theft of “a number of items including jewellery and watches”.
A police statement said Sterling’s family returned from watching him at the World Cup on Saturday to find his house had been burgled, with the date of the incident unclear. Telegraph Sport can reveal the incident resulted in shocked team-mates of Sterling increasing security at their homes and around their families.
There is still hope within the England camp that Sterling may be able to return to the squad in time for Saturday’s quarter-final against France, but he will be given time and space to make a decision after dealing with the police and speaking with his family.
Agents of England players in Qatar were instructed to put security teams on 24-hour patrols at homes, intercept attempted deliveries and monitor any unusual or suspicious activity.
Despite the fact most players organise their own home security, the FA will remind them of their recommendations and contacts with local police that were made available before the World Cup about measures that can be taken.
On the subject of security for his players, Gareth Southgate, the England manager, said: “We had offered that to players. Without talking about the individual details too much because I think it’s important we respect his [Sterling’s] privacy.
“But that was something we did discuss with the players before we left. I think there’s a little bit [for Raheem] in the midst of moving house that played a part in that. But we are very conscious of it.”
Home security has become one of the biggest expenses for highprofile footballers over recent years, with estimates of those who compete in the Champions League and play for their national teams having to spend more than £100,000 a year to try to keep their properties and families safe.
Some players also employ personal bodyguards for their loved ones while they are away at major tournaments, which pushes the security costs much higher, and invest in guard dogs that can cost as much as £40,000.
Sterling is the latest high-profile footballer targeted and at least four of his club and international teammates have been burgled over the past year or so. For privacy and security reasons, Telegraph Sport has decided not to publish the identities of players who have been victims of incidents that have not already been reported on.
Players have become so concerned by the issue that they have installed high-security panic rooms inside their houses in case they and their families are at home if intruders break in. The rooms have a button that raises every alarm in the home.
England players have reported incidents of being followed from their club training grounds over recent months, with cars tailed and players having to reroute and be directed to safe places by the inhouse security teams at clubs.
The concerns and paranoia of players are such that builders and workmen are being asked to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent them telling friends or colleagues that they are working at the properties of footballers, while deliveries are redirected to friends or family for collection to keep addresses private.
Some players have even decided to move out of their homes and into more populated luxury apartment blocks, which they feel offers them a greater level of safety and makes it harder for intruders to try to break in unnoticed.
Sterling is not the first Chelsea player to be targeted, as Reece James last year had his Champions League and Euro 2020 medals stolen while he was playing for the club in Europe. James shared footage of the attack from CCTV cameras on social media and a man was arrested in April in connection with the burglary.
Striker Pierre-emerick Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw when he was attacked with an iron bar during a terrifying attack on his family home in Barcelona shortly before he moved to Chelsea in the summer.
Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo was the victim of what he described as being a “horrific” robbery last December in which his “whole family” was involved, when he was assaulted and jewellery was taken.
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and the club’s former players Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac have all been the targets of attempted robberies.
Meanwhile, security experts fear a footballer will eventually be a victim of a violent attack similar to George Harrison’s stabbing unless they start taking personal protection more seriously.
Alex Bomberg, chairman of Intelligent Protection International, believes there is more that highprofile sportspeople can do, including keeping their assets away from the public eye to having tighter home security.
In 1999, the former Beatle Harrison suffered multiple stab wounds when he was attacked by an intruder in his Oxfordshire home and Bomberg’s view is that a major incident may happen without players taking the right steps.
“In Europe, with high-profile people and footballers it is taken more seriously,” he said. “Some of the failures are low-level failures as people have been ill-advised. It is not about throwing money at it, it is the layers of security working and interacting with each other rather than being disjointed.
“It is how someone might get killed. There was an attack on George Harrison and they ended up in a fight with the intruder. You have to learn from these things.
“It is only a matter of time before it happens, especially as we are going into a recession. Security should be on the agenda of every single board of every single football team. Be proactive, not reactive.”
Bomberg has outlined how protection can be tighter to prevent the break-ins from happening.
“There is no point having CCTV if the response is 10 minutes away,” he said. “It needs to catch them the moment they step foot on the estate. The initial thing to do is not show off wealth on social media. Inviting magazines to do photoshoots in homes is a bad thing.”