WAGs to have 'much lower profile' at World Cup than in previous tournaments
The WAGs will be in Russia supporting their HABs, who are expected to use their downtime playing "Fortnite or whatever it is".
Tuesday 12 June 2018 23:47, UK
The wives and girlfriends of the England squad will keep a "much lower profile" than in previous World Cups, as the team arrives in Russia for the tournament.
The team's base camp in Repino, a small town on the Finnish Gulf near St Petersburg, is expected to be a far cry from Baden Baden, Germany, in 2006.
Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Coleen Rooney were accused of turning the World Cup into a sideshow.
However, some of this year's squad will be sure to remain centre of attention as some of their partners aren't even going.
Defender Danny Rose has told his family to stay at home over fears of racial discrimination.
Leicester striker Jamie Vardy's wife Rebekah said her family will travel to the country to support her husband.
She told Fabulous magazine last week: "The wives and girlfriends have a much lower profile now and that is how it should be. Our job is to be supportive.
"I would be mortified if I was pictured leaving a bar absolutely p***ed knowing that my husband was going to play one of the biggest games of his life the next day."
And Manchester City's Fabian Delph has been given permission to fly back after the Three Lions' final group G game against Belgium on 28 June, with his wife Natalie due to give birth to their third child on two days later.
As for the players themselves, their downtime is expected to be spent playing the video game Fortnite.
Asked last month about the team's spare time before England set off for Russia on Tuesday, England manager Gareth Southgate said: "They'll have the opportunity to see their family between games, we will give them some downtime when we're there.
"We don't know until we're actually into the tournament how easy it's going to be to step outside the hotel with security and everything.
"Our feel of the town we're staying is that it's not going to be full of fans who've travelled for the matches. It's an unlikely destination for that.
"They should be able to go down to the sea front and have some freedom around that.
"In terms of how they occupy their time in the hotel, a lot of them are young kids really, it'll be Fortnite or whatever it is."
The World Cup team arrived in Russia on Tuesday.