England’s Euro 2016 campaign was a famous disaster, with the team being booed off the field after their round of 16 loss to minnows Iceland.
The team came under huge scrutiny from the press, with a number of players taking huge amounts of criticism, as well as manager Roy Hodgson who resigned after the loss.
The ongoing ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial between the wives of Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy, who both featured in 2016, has shed new light on factors that may have added to England’s poor performances.
Jamie Vardy during England's Euro 2016 campaign.
Rooney vs Vardy
Colleen Rooney’s husband Wayne described in a statement how he was asked by management during the Euros to speak to Jamie Vardy about is wife Rebekah’s media activities, which were said to be causing distractions for the squad.
I remember getting pulled to one side by a member of the FA staff,” Rooney said in a witness statement. I was asked to speak to my teammate Jamie Vardy about the fact that Becky’s media activities were causing problems and distractions which the FA wanted to avoid.
“I think Becky had some kind of column in The Sun about Euro 2016. I obviously had bigger things to focus upon at the time but I agreed to speak to Jamie because it was easier than pushing back against the FA. I relayed to Jamie what I had been told by the FA and Jamie said he would speak to Becky about it."
When Rooney took to the witness box today he expanded further on his conversation with Jamie Vardy in 2016.
“They asked me, as captain, would I be able to speak to Mr Vardy on issues regarding his wife and I think we all knew that it was an awkward subject.
“I was asked to speak to Mr Vardy by the England manager and I carried out that instruction. It was an awkward situation for me and I'm sure it was an awkward situation for Mr Vardy, but I felt it was in the best interests of the team."
How much of an affect media actions of Rebekah Vardy would have had on the England squad is up for debate, but it does not paint her in a positive light, particularly following allegations that she took other people’s seats during the tournament.
FA official Harpreet Robertson told the court how Rebekah Vardy and her entourage of friends had sat in Roberton’s assigned seats and abused her when she questioned Vardy.
It is alleged that Vardy had initially changed seats to be closer to Colleen Rooney so as to attract a greater amount of media attention for herself.
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