I’m not finished yet, vows angry Rooney
LONDON: Wayne Rooney slammed the response to his late-night antics on England duty as “disgraceful” and vowed not to be consigned to the international scrapheap over the incident.
Rooney was widely criticised earlier this week after photographs in a tabloid newspaper showed the England captain looking the worse for wear during a reported drinking binge at the team hotel last weekend.
He and team-mate Phil Jagielka, 34, had a few at the bar in the evening before hotel wedding guests invited them over.
FA officials decided to shepherd the pair away around 11pm but they later returned to the wedding, where Rooney downed red wine while shouting obscenities at the DJ.
He is also said to have chatted for hours with a couple of female guests and later became “touchy-feely” with several others while “bumbling” around.
The 31-year-old, who was wearing his England training kit at the time, was reported to have been up until the early hours last Sunday at a wedding in The Grove hotel, leading the forward to “unreservedly” apologise to interim boss Gareth Southgate, the Football Association and young fans.
FA chief executive Martin Glenn has promised a “proper investigation as to what went on” and the England squad will be banned from nights out between matches while on international duty.
There has also been speculation that Southgate, who reportedly asked Rooney to tone down his behaviour in the hotel, might strip the Manchester United forward of the captaincy and exile him from the squad.
But Rooney, speaking after coming on as a substitute in United’s draw against Arsenal on Saturday, expressed his anger at the way the incident has been portrayed.
“It feels as if the media are trying to write my obituary and I won’t let that happen,” Rooney said.
“I love playing for my country and I am proud of my achievements to date – but I have not finished yet.”
Rooney added “what’s been going on is disgraceful”, saying the treatment shows “a lack of respect” and that “enough is enough”. — AFP