‘To be away when your partner and children are at home when an armed gang breaks in is beyond words’
Raheem Sterling raced back from the World Cup after armed intruders broke into his home while his family was there, reportedly snatching watches worth £300,000.
The England star missed the Three Lions 3-0 last-16 win over Senegal on Sunday, after learning what had happened on Saturday, but is said to want to return to Qatar for the quarter-final with France on December 10.
The 27-year-old was said to be shaken and concerned about the well-being of his children.
The Mirror reported that the France match isn’t a priority for Sterling or England at the moment.
“Raheem wanted to return home because he was concerned for his young children,” said a source.
“They were at home during the raid.
“He will come back to Qatar if he can – but he had to put his family first.”
The Sun reported that Sterling’s fiancée Paige Milian, 27 was at home with their two children when the break in happened and that watches worth £300,000 were taken.
The Sun reported that Sterling’s home, less than 15 minutes from Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, Surrey, happened on Saturday night. It is not known if the footballer’s partner confronted the intruders or if they fled when they realised the home was occupied.
A family source told The Sun: “This was terrifying for her and obviously traumatic for all the family.
“Raheem will have been beside himself with worry when he heard.
“To be away when your partner and children are at home when an armed gang breaks in is beyond words.
“It looks like about £300,000 of watches have been taken. The police were there several hours.”
Southgate said following the win over Senegal: “We will have to wait and see [if he’ll be back to play against France], at the moment, clearly the priority is for him to be with his family and we’re going to support that.
“We’ve got to give him time to try to resolve that or be there for his family. That’s the most important thing at this time, so we’re going to give him that space.”
Southgate said Sterling’s return to the UK did not impact team selection and that he had spent “a lot of time” with the player on Sunday, saying “you have days where events happen and you have to deal with them”.
He added: “We’re going to allow him to have as much time as he needs. He’s going home, yeah.
“I really don’t know because at the moment it’s a situation in which he needs time with his family. I don’t want to put him under any pressure. Sometimes football isn’t the most important thing and family should come first.”
The FA said on Sunday night: “Raheem is not available for selection for the Three Lions tonight as he is dealing with a family matter.”
Related links:
- Raheem Sterling leaves World Cup after break-in at family home
- The full player ratings as England beat Senegal to set up quarter final against France
- The problem with Jordan Henderson and England’s midfield
- World Cup 2022 Day 15: All the major action and talking points
