England trio Jadon Sancho, Ben Chilwell and Tammy Abraham have been caught flouting Covid-19 regulations during a party on Saturday night.
The trio are still expected to meet up for international duty at St George’s Park this afternoon ahead of the forthcoming games against Wales, Belgium and Denmark, despite images of them attending Abraham’s surprise 23rd birthday party emerging on Sunday night.
It is claimed in The Sun that the England players were at the gathering of around 20 people, which clearly breaks Government regulations that state people cannot mix in groups of more than six, with fines of up to £10,000 applicable if rules are breached.
The party took place just hours after Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in which Chilwell and Abraham featured.
Borussia Dortmund winger Sancho – who missed his club’s game this weekend with a respiratory illness while testing negative for Covid – is in England ahead of meeting up with his international team-mates today.
But the trio’s involvement in Gareth Southgate’s plans for the forthcoming games have been cast under a shadow as footage of the party appeared on social media.
Abraham issued an apology on Sunday night, saying: ‘I arrived home to find a small surprise gathering.
‘Though I was totally unaware this was planned, I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for the naivety shown for the organisation and attending of this gathering.
All I can do now is learn from it, apologise to everyone and ensure it never happens again.’
The threesome, alongside their England team-mates, will undergo Covid tests upon arrival at the national football centre today and no decision will be made on their ongoing involvement until the results are known.
The FA will confirm any squad withdrawals in due course, but may not confirm the reasons why.
Nevertheless, the party poses another headache for manager Southgate, who was beset by off the field problems during the previous international break.
The England manager had already planned to remind all his players of their responsibilities at a team meeting on Monday night after he was forced to axe Harry Maguire from his squad following allegations of a violent altercation with Greek police before booting youngsters Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden out his squad after the pair invited two girls back to the team hotel following the win over Iceland.
And Saturday’s party involving his players will only serve to disrupt his side’s preparations for this week’s matches – the first of which against Wales takes place on Thursday at Wembley.
Southgate is set to discuss the issue with the three players before deciding if any disciplinary measures are necessary.
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