Details of Raheem Sterling’s armed robbery emerge as Kalidou Koulibaly sends message to Chelsea teammate
The details of the armed robbery that caused Raheem Sterling to quit the England camp and return home from the World Cup have surfaced.
Sterling scored against Iran and played 68 minutes against the United States in England’s opening two matches in Qatar.
However, it was reported just before the teams for the last-16 match against Senegal were announced that the 27-year-old would not be available due to a family problem.
It was later discovered that he was referring to a home invasion that occurred while his fiancee and children were present. Now that more information is available, some members of the England team have increased protection at their houses.
The Scottish Sun reports that Sterling’s fiancee Paige Milian raised the alarm when £300,000 worth of watches were taken.
According to a source, police spent many hours at Sterling’s residence near Chelsea’s training facility in Cobham.
“We will have to wait and see,” England manager Gareth Southgate told ITV after being asked whether Sterling would return to join the squad in Qatar. “At the moment, clearly the priority is for him to be with his family and we’re going to support that.
“We’re going to allow him to have as much time as he needs,” Southgate continued. “He’s going home, yeah. I really 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.”
Kalidou Koulibaly sends Raheem Sterling message after Chelsea teammate’s house is raided
Several figures inside the game, including his England teammate Jordan Henderson and BBC commentator and former England striker Gary Lineker, have written messages to Sterling.
Koulibaly was a member of the Senegalese team that lost to England on Sunday night, and he plans to phone the 27-year-old to inquire about his well-being.
“I really didn’t know. I’m really surprised,” Koulibaly told reporters after England beat Senegal 3-0 to progress to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
“I hope his family is good. Now I will call him and see what happened to him. But I hope he will be good and his family is good”
Koulibaly and Sterling arrived at Stamford Bridge from Napoli and Manchester City, respectively, during the summer. The 31-year-old central defender scored the game-winning goal against Ecuador to advance Senegal to the round of 16, but he and his colleagues were unable to prevent England from winning 3-0 at Al Bayt Stadium.
“At the moment, clearly the priority is for him to be with his family and we’re going to support that,” England boss Southgate said of Sterling after England’s victory. “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 that he needs time with his family to deal with and I don’t want to put him under any pressure. S ometimes football isn’t the most important thing and family should come first.”
Senegal’s World Cup hopes have been dashed by England’s triumph, as the Africa Cup of Nations champions were unable to recover after losing twice at the conclusion of the first half. The Lions of Taranga gave as good as they got before Henderson and Harry Kane gave England a 2-0 lead at halftime, and Bukayo Saka completed the scoring before the hour mark.
Sterling’s return to Qatar for England’s quarterfinal match against France on December 10 has not yet been determined, with Southgate acknowledging that he and his team must “wait and see.”
France advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Poland 3-1 on the strength of goals from Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, and Robert Lewandowski, who scored a late penalty kick for Poland.
Details of Raheem Sterling’s armed robbery emerge as Kalidou Koulibaly sends message to Chelsea teammate
