Prior to England routing Senegal, the reigning African champions, 3-0 in the World Cup round of 16, the FA announced that Raheem Sterling would not be available. Their statement was extremely brief and lacking in specifics, as Football Association statements often do, but it said that Sterling had to miss the game due to a “family matter.”
That was a few hours ago, with details having since been revealed, and they are rather disturbing, to say the least.
Horrible news about Raheem Sterling. His home was raided by armed invaders while his partner and young children were in the house on Saturday night.
— Matt Lawton (@Lawton_Times) December 4, 2022
That is a tweet from Matt Lawton of The Times. According to a tweet from Jamaican journalist Abka Fitz-Henley: “Cash and watches were among items stolen from Raheem Sterling’s house in London. The bandits who targeted the Chelsea forward and England international’s home last night are believed to be still at large.”
Wow! Talk about the lowest of the low- targeting his house, stealing his jewelry and terrorizing the family of a well known star footballer while you know he is away in another part of the world. Awful.
Raheem Sterling was the victim of a robbery at his home in London while in Qatar. He has decided to return to UK to check on the well being of his family but hopes to return to Qatar if the circumstances are right
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) December 4, 2022
Raheem Sterling has left the team, for now, but he may still return to Three Lions/the tournament, if the circumstances are right. That’s according to Times journalist Henry Winter, who also added in the tweet: “family is everything to Raheem Sterling.” He is the second England player to leave the team for personal reasons this tournament, with Arsenal center back Ben White the other.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.