23 August 2023 , 17:13
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England ace Georgia Stanway has explained that the Lionesses had no choice in the decision to leave Heathrow Airport through a private exit and snub waiting fans.
Sarina Weigman's side touched back down on English soil after their World Cup final heartache at the hands of Spain in Australia. Many of the team's passionate fans congregated at terminal three in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the squad, but were left disappointed when the Lionesses left via a side door.
The decision sparked significant backlash, but Stanway has since revealed that it was taken out of the player's hands after their long flight back. Appearing on This Morning, the England and Bayern Munich midfielder claimed: "It all happens around us.
She added: "I had no idea until afterwards when we got back on the coach and there was a few tweets out saying they were disappointed. That's hard for us because we want to give back to the fans as much as possible.
"But I guess the FA have got a job to look after us and after that flight they probably just wanted to get us out of the back door and get our heads down as quick as possible." Stanway continued, insisting that the players are keen on more engagement with supporters.
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"But yeah, we want the opportunity to be able to connect with fans so we'll do that on social media. We've got another camp in three-four weeks' time."
The comments are unlikely to be of much comfort to the fans who travelled from far and wide to try and see England's World Cup stars. One mother and daughter even travelled from Coventry, while others spent as much as £80 to park at the airport overnight hoping to show support.
HAVE YOUR SAY!Was it the wrong call from the FA to usher the players out of the airport and snub fans? Comment below
England and Bayern Munich star Georgia Stanway speaks to Sky Sports about Sarina Weigman's future (Sky Sports News)An FA spokesperson explained that the Lionesses were following "normal protocol" also adhered to by the England men's team. As per multiple reports, it is believed that there are no events planned to celebrate the Lionesses' historic run to the final.
Stanway also discussed the future of national team boss Weigman in a separate interview, making clear the women's game should not be seen as below the men's.
"As female footballers we don't want the female game to be the stepping stone for the men's game," she told Sky Sports. "We want it to be football, and for people to enjoy the fact that we play football and we enjoy it, as do coaches.
"We're not a stepping stone, we're trying our best to get women's game on the map as much as possible and we will continue to break barriers and we will see what we can do."