The Sterling Tattoo Saga

Featured, Premier League 5 Minutes

England International Raheem Sterling recently exposed a tattoo of an M16 assault rifle inked on his right calf and it caused a massive controversy among the fans.

Anti-gun supporters have described the tattoo as “totally unacceptable” and “sickening”. Lucy Cope, who founded Mothers Against Guns, had told The Sun that the tattoo was “an absolute disgrace”. She then called for Sterling to have the tattoo lasered off or covered up and believed that he should be dropped by the England squad if he refused to do so. Cope further added, “He’s supposed to be a role model but chooses to glamorize guns”.

Sterling decided to give an explanation for his choice and said: “When I was two my father died from being gunned down to death. I made a promise to myself I would never touch a gun in my lifetime, I shoot with my right foot so it has a deeper meaning and still unfinished”

Even though his father was killed in a shooting in Jamaica when he was just two, explained that he was ardently against guns and that the tattoo symbolized the ability of his right foot as well as being a tribute to his deceased father, a few journalists like Piers Morgan still refused to back-off from the issue while some like Gary Linekar strongly believed that Sterling did nothing wrong.

Morgan declared that Sterling’s tattoo was inappropriate because it was the same gun sometimes used in school shootings in the USA. After Sterling posted his explanation, Morgan said: “Perhaps he should explain it better then. Because I fail to see why tattooing an assault rifle on your leg does anything to combat gun violence.” Comments like these show that some players like Sterling always get attacked becasue of their choices and their sense of ethics, whether or not the attacks are justified, they are however omnipresent in the world of today. While some have taken the issue with seriousness, some have resorted to humoring the crowds.

2 weeks to Russia

Sterling scored 18 goals and provided 11 assists for the winners of this year’s Premier League so one would expect Sterling to be loved and supported by all the England fans. At just 23-years old, Sterling has already represented his country at two tournaments and played key roles for two of England’s biggest teams, Liverpool and Manchester City. As a player with pace, flair and an eye for goal, Sterling is a rarity in the England setup.

In just two weeks, the World Cup finals begin in Russia. The country was expected to hype their chances and lauding their star players. But that is not the case this time as some parts of the fanbase seem to be hell-bent on finding reasons to criticise the character of one of the country’s best players, Raheem Sterling.

When Piers Morgan was called out on his attacks on Sterling and how it might affect the player’s World Cup performance, he simply replied: “Oh Pur-lease. We fail at World Cups because we don’t play well enough. If you can’t stand a bit of media scrutiny, go and be a dustman.”

FA to the rescue…

The Football Association immediately jumped to the defence of the accused player on Tuesday after the 23-year old England star recieved flak over his decision to have an assault rifle tattooed on his leg. The FA pledged its unequivocal support to Sterling after praising “the honest and heartfelt” account he gave to his followers on Instagram. “We all support Raheem Sterling and acknowledge the honest and heartfelt account he gave via Instagram last night,” an FA spokesman said. “He and the rest of the squad are focused solely on preparing for the forthcoming World Cup.”

Although Sterling was heavily criticised in some parts, many expressed their support and sympathy for the England International and feel that he has been unjustly accused.

Published by Jigmee Bhutia

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