England trio have been video recorded , choosing to flout coronavirus rules 36 hours before their Three Lions international duty.
Premier League stars Ben Chilwell, Tammy Abraham and Jadon Sancho are seen in the footage attending a packed birthday do ahead of today’s squad meet-up, with three England games to be played in the next few weeks.
The three footballers were in a gathering of about 20 friends and family, which goes against the strict Covid-19 laws.
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
They were expected to play in their friendly against Wales on Thursday, though it’s feared that they have put the national team at risk. There looked to be little social distancing at Abraham’s 23rd birthday last Saturday, which took place at his London mansion.
One party goer said: “It was a great party. We wanted to do something nice for his birthday. But maybe we didn’t think it through.”
Coronavirus laws ban people from mixing in groups of more than six, with fines of up to £10,000. Footage from the party, following Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in which left-back Chilwell scored, circulated on social media. One video shows Chilwell, 23, laughing with team-mate Abraham after spotting him chatting to a blonde.
Striker Abraham is filmed alongside his girlfriend, Leah Monroe, as a group of about 20 sing Happy Birthday. Borussia Dortmund winger Sancho, 20, with a mask around his chin, is seen dancing in a crowd.
The FA examined footage and said there will be no change to the England team at this stage.
There has been no reaction yet from England boss Gareth Southgate with players due this morning at St George’s Park, Staffs. Stars will be tested for Covid-19 and stay in an isolation bubble before the Wembley friendly.
Southgate left two other young stars, Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood, out of the squad for breaching Covid protocols with two Icelandic beauties last month.
A source close to Abraham said of the party: “He genuinely had no idea it was going to happen. He and Sancho didn’t drink alcohol.
“It was family and very close friends only — and they even did temperature checks on arrival.”
Abraham said: “I arrived home to find a small surprise gathering.
“Though I was totally unaware this was planned, I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for the naivety shown for the organisation and attending of this gathering.
“All I can do now is learn from it, apologise to everyone and ensure it never happens again.”
Last week Southgate said: “I guess what I would say is that players who have worked with us for a long time know how we operate and know that we won’t duck decisions.
“What we found in the last camp was lots of new players coming in so I think that maybe as a reminder when you have got lots of new players that you have to be a little more… not assuming that people are going to understand how you work and pick it up from the rest of the group.
“In what we are dealing with at the moment the interaction with the group is more difficult.
“Players are not allowed to sit so long together and chat.
“It’s hard for senior players to mentor younger ones in quite the same way because we are having to sit in masks all the time, we can only sit together for 15 minutes.
“We are having to socially distance. It’s a really strange environment and not so easy for players coming in.
“But I think always, you have to work at culture. It never is embedded forever, Its constantly evolving.
“The team group is constantly evolving as players come and go.
“So you have always got to keep affecting that, keep addressing that and we will discuss the shirt, what it means to wear the shirt and some reminders on how we work but that’s not a case of reading the riot act.
“That’s a case of asking the players what sort of team they want to be involved in and be a part of and I think they have shown so many positives over the last years but we had not been together for 10 months.
“We addressed some of that last time round but obviously when something like what has happened has happened we have to revisit that.”
England face Wales in a friendly before Nations League matches against Belgium on Sunday and Denmark three days later.
Fans reacted after seeing that the England trio flout coronavirus rules 36 hours before international duty…
I like how the all apologise and say they need to learn from it. They are grown men not children at school. Absolute pathetic excuses. Just tell truth and say I don’t care about the virus and fancied a few beers with my mates. Least been honest and don’t sound like a plank.
— andrew perry (@adp250986) October 5, 2020
Drop Tammy and Chilwell please, could do with them having a rest ??
— Kurt Zoumas son (@CFCsportmedia) October 4, 2020
Wonder if Southgate will drop them? Should be ssme punishment for all the players
— duggins (@jp6283) October 4, 2020
and i wasn’t invited?
— astrid (@hazardsgirllll) October 4, 2020
So that’s why Sancho wasn’t in the squad at Dortmund??? Cause he wants to cause havoc by illegally surprising someone ffs
— Max (@MaxHenzell) October 4, 2020
Not when they risk infection they cant no
— budtheweiser (@Budtheweiser) October 5, 2020
Chuck the bastards out!! Im hating all these rules over our lives at min but why do some footballers think they can do whatever the fuck they like! Give other players a chance!!
— darren grimmer ?? (@dazgrimmer) October 5, 2020
Why are these three being treated differently from Greenwood and Foden who only met two other people? There were more than 20 people at this party. These three knew the rule of six and should have known of the consequences from the Greenwood/Foden incident.
— Cosmo Cahn (@CosmoCahn) October 5, 2020
Sorry, but breaking rules is breaking rules. If and 18 and 20-year-old can be dragged through the mud for their mistakes then why not these three? I know they weren’t on England duty at the time, but this is a serious indiscretion and they should be punished. Weak from Southgate.
— TK (@SackWoodward) October 5, 2020
Foden & Greenwood get punished just for sealing the deal then? pic.twitter.com/DuhdEPEwQK
— MCFC Tnarrat (@la_tarrant) October 5, 2020
Greenwood and Foden do it and they get punished twice. These lot do it and nothing…
— • (@Samuel_MUFC) October 5, 2020
Tammy: “Though I was totally unaware this was planned, I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for the naivety shown for the organisation and attending of this gathering.”
Also Tammy: pic.twitter.com/bdGXK9wqf8
— Nick Clark (@ToffeeClark) October 5, 2020
Double standards. Punish Greenwood and Foden, but no action for Abraham, Chilwell and Sancho. Irresponsible and careless, risking the lifes and health of many for personal enjoyment. Agree with @piersmorgan @GMB It’s a shambles from the FA and Southgate.
— Sab ?? (@28Zizou) October 5, 2020
Greenwood and Foden did wrong and get dropped from this squad as well as the last, how they supposed to learn when they are being punished but others aren’t?
— Adam Spencer (@adams211085) October 5, 2020
You must be logged in to post a comment Login