Tribal Football

Kane stands by criticism of England no-shows

Paul Vegas
Kane stands by criticism of England no-shows
Kane stands by criticism of England no-showsTribalfootball
England captain Harry Kane stands by criticism of teammates who withdrew from this week's Nations League ties.

Kane accused some players of "taking advantage" in pulling out of the squad citing injury.

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Before Sunday's clash with the Republic of Ireland, Kane said: "I probably didn't expect it to get as much coverage as it did, but it was my opinion.

"The November camp has always been a difficult camp. Even if you look at other years, other players have pulled out. It's a tough stage of the season."

Kane said such a culture "takes a long time to build and maybe not so long to lose if you're not careful".

He added the autumn camps after a major tournament "get forgotten about a little bit", but are "really important".

On the Ireland tie, the Bayern Munich striker also said: "If we win, it sets us up really well for the year ahead going into the (2026) World Cup.

"These are the camps where you build that culture and togetherness that lead you into the World Cup. It is just a reminder that playing for England is really, really special.

"For me personally it is one of the greatest things I do as a professional footballer."