Raheem Sterling will be flying home from the World Cup in Qatar because his family’s house was broken into on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old didn’t play in England’s 3-0 win over Senegal in the round of 16, which set up Saturday’s match between France and England in the quarter-finals.
Sterling was supposed to start for England again after coming off the bench against Wales. Manager Gareth Southgate had consistently put him in the starting lineup in knockout games, but before the game, it was revealed that he had been left out of the squad to deal with a “personal matter.”
Several sources, including the Telegraph and the Guardian, have confirmed that armed people broke into Sterling’s home on Saturday night. He will now fly back to the UK to ensure his family is safe.
When asked if Sterling would go back to Qatar after England’s win, Southgate told ITV, “I don’t know. He needs to be with his family to deal with a situation.”
“I don’t want to put any pressure on him by doing this. Sometimes family is more important than football.
England captain Harry Kane, who scored his first World Cup goal against Senegal with the second goal of the game, also said that he was thinking about Sterling and his family. Even though it’s a private matter, it’s never easy to see a friend or teammate go through something like that.
“We’ll have to take things one day at a time. Raheem will probably talk to the manager and decide what is best for him and his family. The most important thing is that. We hope to see him as soon as possible and send him our best wishes.”
It’s hoped that Sterling will be able to rejoin England’s team, and he hasn’t been ruled out of the tournament yet.
