RIO FERDINAND has labelled the bust-up between Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez a “farce”.
Manchester City winger Sterling was dropped by England yesterday afternoon after reportedly squaring up to his Liverpool rival.
The incident happened almost as soon as the wide-man arrived at St George’s Park, just hours after their Premier League title clash at Anfield.
Fellow players are understood to have first seen the coming together as a joke, Sterling asking Gomez if he thought he “was still the big man” before allegedly attempting to grab his neck – at which point teammates intervened.
A crisis meeting was held and the City man apologised, allowing him to keep his place in the squad but without being considered for Thursday’s home game with Montenegro.
On Tuesday morning, Ferdinand left fans waiting with bated breath when tweeting: “Im gonna finish my gym session and get back to this Sterling and Gomez farce… back in a bit!”
It’s unclear whether the former England and Manchester United defender considers the incident itself farcical, or the way it was dealt with.
Ferdinand played during a time when the Three Lions’ Golden Generation were beset by club rivalries.
With United fiercely competing against Chelsea, Arsenal and Co. for the title, cliques sprang up as players didn’t trust eachother.
Speaking before the 2018 World Cup, he recalled: “Our rivalries were sustained over a long period of time, they were embedded in us.
“I was a rival with Frank [Lampard], John Terry, Ashley Cole for years.
“It wasnt an overnight thing. I was rivals with Sol Campbell and Martin Keown, [Jamie] Carragher and [Steven] Gerrard, for years.
He predicted at the time: “If we look three years down the line and Man Utd and Man City are going at it all the time, you can understand that might come into it. But I think this is a clean slate here.”
