Raheem Sterling gun tattoo: Football Association stands with ‘honest and heartfelt’ England forward over furore
Sterling has a tattoo of a gun on his right leg which was put on the front page of The Sun newspaper on Tuesday morning, with the headline ‘Raheem shoots himself in foot’
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
The Football Association have come out in support of Raheem Sterling after the Manchester City forward found himself at the centre of an unlikely controversy over a tattoo.
Sterling has a tattoo of a gun on his right leg which was put on the front page of The Sun newspaper on Tuesday morning, with the headline ‘Raheem shoots himself in foot’. The front page described the tattoo as “sick” and linked it to gun crime.
But Sterling issued a personal defence on Instagram, saying that he is fiercely anti-gun because his father was murdered when Sterling was just two years old. On Tuesday, the FA strongly supported the 23-year-old in his stance.
“We all support Raheem Sterling and acknowledge the honest and heartfelt account he gave via Instagram last night,” an FA spokesperson said. “He and the rest of the squad are focused solely on preparing for the forthcoming World Cup.”
Sterling had written that he has “made a promise to myself I would never touch a gun in my lifetime”, and that the tattoo was a symbol of that. “I shoot with my right foot, so it has a deeper meaning”.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments