England manager Gareth Southgate has said his players will not walk off the pitch in protest if they are racially abused by supporters following discussions with his squad and staff.
England’s 5-1 rout of Montenegro in Podgorica in March was soured by racist abuse from fans and the hosts were ordered to play their next European competition match behind closed doors as part of sanctions handed out by UEFA.
Southgate said he discussed the matter with England internationals, Raheem Sterling, Danny Rose and Callum Hudson-Odoi and the players agreed that walking off would shift the focus to them rather than the issue of racism.
“They are clear they don’t want the story at the end to be about them as individuals,” Southgate told reporters on Thursday as he announced his squad for next month’s UEFA Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands. Read more