Raheem Sterling has been dropped for England’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro on Thursday after a bust-up with Joe Gomez at St George’s Park.
Emotions were still running high on Monday afternoon following Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester City 24 hours earlier and the title rivalry spilled over into the England camp. City’s Sterling and Liverpool’s Gomez were involved in a heated clash towards the end of the match at Anfield and both players had to be separated again after reporting for international duty.
Gareth Southgate’s squad convened at the Burton base and the pair reportedly came together in a physical confrontation – this time in the players’ canteen.
The incident, which began with some choice words, ended with the pair having to be pulled apart and immediately forced the England manager into an unwanted decision.
“Both Joe and I have had words and figured things out and moved on. We are in a sport where emotions run high and I am man enough to admit when emotions got the better of me,” Sterling said on his Instagram account.
“…This is why we play this sport because of our love for it – me and @joegomez5 are good we both understand it was a 5-10 second thing… it’s done, we move forward and not make this bigger than it is. Let’s get focus on our game on Thursday.”
Sterling reportedly apologised for his actions but it was not enough for Southgate who has ruled the forward out of the qualifier at Wembley. “We have taken the decision to not consider Raheem for the match against Montenegro on Thursday,” the manager said. “One of the great challenges and strengths for us is that we’ve been able to separate club rivalries from the national team.
“Unfortunately the emotions of Sunday’s game were still raw. My feeling is that the right thing for the team is the action we have taken. Now that the decision has been made with the agreement of the entire squad, it’s important that we support the players and focus on Thursday night.”
The incident has provided the FA with embarrassing headlines as it seeks to bill the game against Montenegro as a celebration of 1,000 England matches.
A statement read: “The FA can confirm Raheem Sterling will not be considered for Thursday’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro as a result of a disturbance in a private team area at St George’s Park today. He will remain with the squad.”
The incident also gives Southgate an on-field headache as Sterling has been in exceptional form for England, scoring eight goals and providing five assists during Euro 2020 qualification to date.
Gomez, who was introduced as an 87th-minute substitute at Anfield on Sunday, won the last of his seven England caps in the Nations League third-place play-off against Switzerland in June.
