Raheem Sterling will return home after armed robbers broke into his London home while he was in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup. England manager Gareth Southgate has backed Sterling, saying that football isn't always the most important thing and that the Chelsea forward's family should come first.Raheem Sterling will return home after armed robbers broke into his London home while he was in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup.Raheem Sterling will return home from England's World Cup camp in Qatar, raising concerns about his availability for Saturday's quarter-final match against France.
The English Football Association confirmed that the Chelsea forward missed Sunday's 3-0 win over Senegal due to "a family matter."
According to reports in the British press, armed intruders broke into Sterling's home on Saturday night while his family was present.
"Clearly, his priority at the moment is to be with his family. We'll back him up on that and give him as much time as he needs "England manager Gareth Southgate stated."Right now, he needs time with his family to deal with a situation, and I don't want to put any pressure on him."
"Football isn't always the most important thing, and family should always come first."
Sterling has been an important player for England during Southgate's six-year reign.The 27-year-old has 20 goals in 81 caps for his country, including one in a 6-2 victory over Iran at the 2022 World Cup.
Even if he does return to Qatar, Sterling may have already been pushed out of Southgate's starting lineup for the next eight games due to the excellent form of Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Phil Foden.Saka and Rashford have each scored three goals in the tournament, while Foden assisted on two of Senegal's goals.
"It had no bearing on team selection," Southgate said. "This morning, I spent a lot of time with Raheem.
"We obviously care about giving him space and respecting his privacy. He's on his way back to England.
"It's not ideal for the team ahead of a big game, but it pales in comparison. In that situation, the individual is more important than the group."
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