England winger Raheem Sterling was ruled out of the country’s World Cup round of 16 clash with Senegal because of a “family matter,” the Football Association (FA) said Sunday.
The 27-year-old started England’s opening two games in Group B, but was left out of the final match — a convincing 3-0 win against Wales.
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The FA did not provide more details about the reason for Sterling’s absence when making the announcement 90 minutes before kickoff against Senegal at Al Bayt Stadium.
“Raheem Sterling is not available for selection for the Three Lions tonight as he is dealing with a family matter,” the FA said on Twitter.
England coach Gareth Southgate told ITV Sport ahead of the match that Sterling is “going to go away and deal with that matter and we’ll have to take it from there really.”
Sterling scored in England’s opening 6-2 win against Iran, but it was not clear if he would start against Senegal even if available, with Phil Foden, who scored against Wales, starting in his place.
The FA announced on Wednesday that England defender Ben White returned home from Qatar because of personal reasons.
