*This content was translated by AI.
"The soccer world has been turned upside down." Videos surfaced showing players from England's under-16 national team committing group assault and bullying in a hotel room during an overseas trip.
"England U-16 national team players were caught on video beating up and collectively tormenting a teammate in a hotel room during a trip to Turkey, with the footage spreading via social networking services (SNS) and causing major controversy," reported British media outlets BBC and The Sun on the 24th (Korean time).
"The controversial video was filmed last October when England's U16 national team participated in an international tournament held in Sedi, Turkey. At the time, led by interim coach Barry Lutts, England's U16 team played against Turkey, Wales, and Portugal, and even secured a 5-1 victory over Wales."
"However, this tournament was marred by an unexpected outbreak of violence. The approximately one-minute video shows a player wearing the official England training kit forcibly snatching a phone from a teammate lying on a bed, sparking a fight. The perpetrator pressed down on the victim's neck, pinned him to the bed, then applied a headlock, dragged him across the entire room, and pulled at his clothes in a ruthless assault. Punches and kicks followed as the victim continued to be attacked, while other teammates present in the room did nothing to stop it; instead, they held their phones close to the victim's face to record the scene and shouted 'Smash him' to incite further violence."
"As the video rapidly spread on SNS, accumulating millions of views, local fans and netizens launched a torrent of criticism. Comments poured in such as 'It's shameful to call this the future of the national team,' 'This is not a school playground; it's an unacceptable act that cannot be tolerated regardless of age,' and 'All players who stood by, joined in, and filmed inside the room should be sent home and disciplined.'"
"However, while the controversy spread like wildfire, the Football Association (FA) of England's lukewarm response has sparked even greater outrage."
"According to Britain's BBC, an FA spokesperson stated, 'We are aware of an internal issue that occurred during the U16 national team's call-up period in October 2025. However, this was resolved quickly internally at the time,' and added, 'No further disciplinary action or measures will be taken.' Despite evidence emerging of shocking violence committed by players inside a hotel room within the Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) team, along with bystanders who watched, filmed, and encouraged the abuse, the Football Association failed to fully address the situation, opting instead for token punishment."
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
