England star Raheem Sterling to leave Qatar after armed break-in at home

By Josh Payne, PA Chief Reporter

England forward Raheem Sterling is leaving Qatar after armed intruders broke into his home while his family were inside.

The Chelsea winger was absent from the England's 3-0 victory over Senegal on Sunday following the incident on Saturday evening.

Sterling is said to have been shaken and concerned about the well-being of his children following the break-in.

Support for the England international flooded in on social media, with Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker taking to Twitter send a message to the 27-year-old.

Thoughts are with @sterling7 and his family after their awful and harrowing ordeal.

— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) December 4, 2022

He said: “Thoughts are with (Raheem Sterling) and his family after their awful and harrowing ordeal.”

In a press conference after the game, England manager Gareth Southgate told reporters: “Raheem, as the FA statement says, is having to deal with a family situation, so he’s going back to England.

“We’ve got to give him time to try to resolve that or be there for his family. That’s the most important thing at this time, so we’re going to give him that space.

“I spent a lot of time with Raheem this morning, but you know you have days where events happen and you have to deal with them.

“He’s on his way home and, yeah, we’re obviously mindful of him being allowed space and (having) privacy respected, so we don’t want to talk in too much detail.”

England captain Harry Kane sent his best to Sterling at the man of the match press conference in Al Khor.

“Our thoughts are with him and his family,” he said.

“It is a private matter with him, but it’s never easy to see one or your teammates and friends have to deal with something like that.

“We will take it day by day and take the best decision for him and his family.

“From us as a team we send him our best and hope to see him as soon as possible.”