A Premier League player that was arrested and bailed is said to be named in Gareth Southgate’s England World Cup squad.
A top Premier League player, plying his trade for one of the top clubs in England will make Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.
The various national teams that have booked their places in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be expected to submit a final list of players that will travel to Qatar for the 29-day tournament.
After releasing their 55-man list, a final list of 26 men will be released and submitted to FIFA on November 14, six days before the tournament kicks off on November 20.
According to Daily Mail, the Three Lions will receive a significant boost after it was confirmed that one of his embattled players can play at the World Cup.
The footballer, whose name is withheld due to legal considerations, was arrested earlier this year for alleged rape and assault.
The arrest followed a series of videos that went viral showing the player asserting lady and also issuing death threats.
The Police swung into action, arrested him and proceeded on an investigation into the case.
After his arrest was confirmed, his club issued a statement and stated that he had been suspended from the squad pending the results of the investigation into the incident.
Despite the suspension from his club, he was still entitled to his weekly wage from the club, although he was excluded from the squad.
However, he was granted bail by the court under well-outlined conditions, including not making contact with the victim or his relatives.
After being granted bail, the player reportedly maintained a low profile and rarely attend public events.
News of his return to his club hit the waves, after he was granted bail but the club debunked the rumors and reaffirm his exclusion from the team.
He was arrested again for allegedly breaching bail conditions by making contact with the alleged victim.
He was then charged and made a court appearance. However, he reapplied for bail and was granted again.
Daily Mail reports that his nation was unaware of any issue involving their player and, as such, is set to press ahead and select him for the 2022 World Cup.
This is coming despite the ongoing investigation into the alleged assault incident.
His country’s FA have argued that they are unaware of any incident relating to their player and he was reportedly not suspended from the national team.
This implies that his country is ready to name him in the World Cup squad to be submitted to FIFA on November 14.
With 10 days until final squads are confirmed by national team FAs, it remains unclear if either the tournament organisers or FIFA would step in.
The World Cup gets underway on November 20 when hosts Qatar take on Ecuador.
Gareth Southgate will open his campaign against Iran on November 21, and the news of the embattled player joining the squad is a massive boost to Southgate.
