Jadon Sancho and Ben Chilwell have decided to give England teammate Tammy Abraham a surprise birthday bash on Saturday, and now the three players are in their danger of losing their spot on Gareth Southgate's team. The gathering broke the COVID-19 lockdown rule that prohibits more than six persons from partying.
The Abraham get-together, held at the Chelsea man's London residence, saw around 20 people celebrating with the England football stars and pictures of which have been shared online. First reported by The Sun, the breach could see Abraham fined by up to £10,000 or even worst.
According to The Daily Mail, all three England players could face disciplinary action although officials of the Football Association (FA) have already indicated that the national team will not see a change in the lineup anytime soon. And if any withdrawals will be announced in the future, the specific reasons are not expected to be made public.
The incident, however, will serve as another distraction that Southgate is forced to deal with. The England manager had to address similar problems in the past months that saw several players either flouting coronavirus safety rules or getting into trouble.
Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden were caught inviting girls to their hotel rooms in Iceland while Harry Maguire got into a fight while on a holiday in Greece. All three players were axed from the England team.
It remains unclear if Abraham, Chilwell, and Sancho will suffer the same fate but all of them are understood to meet with Southgate anytime this week for the chance to explain their side. Per the same report, the consequences of their action, if any, will be announced after the session with the England boss.
In an interview with the media, Abraham confirmed that the party was held at his London mansion but explained it was not planned, at least not by him. The Blues striker, however, took responsibility for the breach and extended his apologies.
"Though I was totally unaware this was planned, I would like to wholeheartedly apologize for the naivety shown for the organization and attending of this gathering," Metro reported Abraham as saying.
He added that moving forward, he will ensure that the incident will not be repeated and there will be lessons learned.
The latest disruption came as Southgate's squad start the preparations for the international break that will see England clashing with Wales on Thursday. The side is likewise scheduled to face off with Belgium and Denmark and prior to the matches, all squad members will be tested for COVID-19 before getting the clearance to play.
