Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez had to be separated by England team-mates at St George’s Park on Monday as their spat at Anfield the previous day spilled over into international duty, and Sterling has been punished as a result.
Sterling will not be considered for England’s clash with Montenegro at Wembley on Thursday for his involvement in the incident, although he will remain with the squad.
An FA statement read: ‘The FA can confirm Raheem Sterling will not be considered for Thursday’s EURO 2020 qualifier against Montenegro as a result of a disturbance in a private team area at St. George’s Park today. He will remain with the squad.’
The Manchester City and Liverpool players clashed during the Premier League game between the teams on Sunday, with a textbook bit of handbags as City were beaten 3-1 by the home side.
The players squared-up to each other after a challenge before being separated by Gomez’s Liverpool team-mate James Milner.
The Telegraph reports that Sterling instigated the hostilities on arrival on England duty, attempting to provoke a physical reaction from Gomez, which the Liverpool defender avoided, remaining calm.
Sterling realised the error of his ways and later apologised, but that has not saved him from being axed from the team for Thursday.
England take on Montenegro on Thursday night before traveling to play Kosovo on Sunday as they look to wrap up top spot in Group A of Euro 2020 qualifying.
The spat between the Three Lions team-mates will not have done anything to help Gareth Southgate’s preparation for the contests and will be looking to put the disagreement behind the players as quickly as possible.
Southgate commented on the situation: ‘We have taken the decision to not consider Raheem for the match against Montenegro on Thursday.
‘One of the great challenges and strengths for us is that we’ve been able to separate club rivalries from the national team. Unfortunately the emotions of yesterday’s game were still raw.
‘My feeling is that the right thing for the team is the action we have taken. Now that the decision has been made with the agreement of the entire squad, it’s important that we support the players and focus on Thursday night.’
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