Jewellery and watches were among items stolen at the Surrey home of the England footballer Raheem Sterling in a burglary that forced the winger to return to the UK from the World Cup in Qatar.
Surrey police confirmed it was investigating a burglary at a property in Oxshott, Leatherhead, after Sterling missed England’s win against Senegal in the knockout stages of the tournament on Sunday.
The force said there was no threat of violence involved and there was no one present at the property when the burglary took place, contrary to some media reports overnight.
On Saturday, the official England Twitter account posted: “Raheem Sterling is not available for selection for the #ThreeLions tonight as he is dealing with a family matter.”
Surrey police said on Monday: “We are currently investigating a report of a burglary at an address in Oxshott, Leatherhead. Police were contacted just before 9pm on Saturday December 3rd after the occupants of the property came home and discovered a number of items, including jewellery and watches, had been stolen.
“Inquiries to establish the circumstances are under way and the investigation is ongoing. No threat of violence was involved as the items were discovered stolen retrospectively. Inquiries into the circumstances are ongoing.”
It is not yet clear whether Sterling will return for Saturday’s match against France, with Southgate admitting he and everyone else would have to “wait and see” regarding the 27-year-old’s availability.
“Raheem, as the FA statement says, is having to deal with a family situation, so he’s going back to England,” the England boss said in a press conference at Al Bayt stadium. “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.
“It didn’t impact team selection. 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.
“Of course it’s not ideal for the group ahead of a big game, but it pales into insignificance – the individual is more important than the group in those moments. So, I needed to look after the situation and then I had to pass it on to others to deal with this afternoon in order to get him home.”
The England captain, Harry Kane, sent his best wishes 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 of 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.”