Raheem Sterling was forced to drop from the England World Cup camp following reports of an armed horror break-in at a family home in the United Kingdom.
The Chelsea forward was a noticeable absentee among Gareth Southgate’s squad, which thrashed Senegal 3-0 on Sunday in the last 16 clash.
The FA spokesperson confirmed this development.
“Raheem Sterling is not available for selection for the #ThreeLions tonight as he is dealing with a family matter,” reads the statement.
Sterling, who has only featured twice for the high-riding Three Lions, had no option but to race back home to check on the well-being of his children, having been notified of the horror break-in.
Meanwhile, it is unclear if the former Manchester City ace could return to the ongoing global showpiece. Southgate also confirmed this.
“I don’t know because, at the moment.
“It’s a situation that he needs time with his family to deal with, and I don’t want to put him under any pressure with that.
“Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing, and family should come first.”
He added:
“I had quite a bit of time with him this morning, but I have now had to pass that on to other people to help him with that.
“He’s going to go and deal with that matter. And then we will have to take it from there, really.”
Sterling’s horror came a few days after another England ace, Ben White, raced back home for personal reasons.
The Arsenal defender left England’s training camp last week when his team won 3-0 against Wales in the group stages.
White’s reason for leaving the camp was kept a secret, and the player is not returning to Qatar.
“Ben White has left England’s training base in Al Wakrah and returned home for personal reasons.
“The Arsenal defender is not expected to return to the squad for the remainder of the tournament. We ask that the player’s privacy is respected at this moment in time,” confirmed the statement from FA.
