The Daily Star has been slammed by fans after revealing the reason behind Ben White’s England exit during the 2022 World Cup.
The 25 year old Arsenal player departed the Three Lions squad mid-way through the tournament in Qatar due to a bust-up with England assistant boss Steve Holland.
White didn’t in any of England’s three group matches before leaving the camp on the 30th of November owing to ‘personal reasons’, the FA said in a statement.
He will not return to Qatar and Southgate didn’t call-up a replacement, leaving them a man down, but a new report by the Daily Star now claims the defender’s departure was because of a row with Holland, Southgate’s longstanding No 2.
Ben White was axed from the England squad for not doing his homework – and it adds up when you look at his previous comments about never watching games š https://t.co/ZoFMhCmbtL
ā Daily Star Sport (@DailyStar_Sport) December 8, 2022
White is said to have been also unhappy at England’s Al Wakrah training base and couldn’t gel with his teammates while Holland and White had an exchange of words after the player turned up to a team meeting ahead of the the USA fixture without knowing vital data about his personal statistics, while also lacking on information about England’s opponents.
A mutual decision came to light, allowing White to return home, having played no part in any of England’s fixtures up to then.
‘We ask that the player’s privacy is respected at this moment in time,’ the FA statement said.
His club then tweeted: ‘We’re all with you, Ben.’
Several Arsenal players have since posted messages of support to White on social media.
White hasn’t not travelled on the Gunners’ mid-World Cup warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
The defender started all 14 Premier League games prior to the World Cup break, helping his side to the top of the table and earning him a call-up to Southgate’s 26-man squad for Qatar.
Southgate didn’t replace White – whose fiancee, Milly Adams, was in attendance for the draw with the USA – as he already has defensive cover for first choice pairing Harry Maguire and John Stones while Conor Coady and Eric Dier are also options.
White has also been at right-back for Arsenal this season but Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold can fill that position for England.
Steve Holland, 52, was assistant manager at Chelsea before linking up with the England set-up, first with the under-21s, and then promoted to the senior side.
With England, he has always worked next to Southgate and was a member of the coaching team when the Three Lions reached last year’s Euro 2020 final.
As mentioned, the Daily Star have been slammed after revealing the reason behind Ben White’s England exit during the World Cup…
@NW9AFC: That Ben White story is surely bollocks
@Hmaria1980: The Ben White story doesnāt add up, if it was as simple as they claim then surely heād be in Dubai with Arsenal now?
@MalteserMatt: Whoever wrote that article should be sacked if its not true.
@Pipey78: That Ben White story doesnāt add up?
@OwenBrear: @dailystar you are a disgrace to journalism, making up stories about Ben White for your pathetic newspaper, go and do some proper journalism before he sues you
@SophieRose19x: And Rob Holding posted a similar message on Instagram with a heart and š emojis. Itās obviously far more than just a busy up.
@mhummon: Hope the rumors around Ben White leaving the England camp arenāt true.
@Gooner941: @CrossyDailyStar you are a disgusting human being making up lies about Ben White team mates have already said he left for Family reasons for you to write the lies you have is unethical and you should be ashamed
@gusfarrow_: Ben White story doesn’t really add up.
@belaire63186779: @CrossyDailyStar shameless
@SamCork13: @CrossyDailyStar clearly talking rubbish here..how do these people make a living #gutterpress
@aju000: How shameless @CrossyDailyStar must be to write an article like this!! The last line from @FA statement and the message from @Arsenal conveys that @ben6white left England squad due to some serious personal issue. Still he lies through his teeth in his article in @dailystar.
@BenBrowning3: The idea that Ben White doesn’t get on with any of the England squad, when he has spent a season with three of the other 25, and then flew home after a bust up only for the club to tweet “we’re all with you” is, quite frankly, laughable.
@markwhlte: The piece about Ben White leaving the England camp is really fucking nasty. Borderline piss-taking because he’s not interested in watching football on TV. Hope he’s not going through something serious right now because having to deal with that on top of everything is obscene.
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