Gareth Southgate says he has received more abuse for participating in a video encouraging people to get vaccinated for Covid-19 than he has for managing England.
Southgate appeared in a video released by the UK Government last month urging young people to get the jab, saying: "It’s the chance for everything to open up, to get your freedom back. If you haven’t had your vaccine yet, go and get it done."
The 50-year-old says his support for vaccines provoked a more severe reaction than his team's efforts at Euro 2020 this summer.
What has been said?
The England manager said at a press conference: "I’m not going to get too involved in this because I was asked to do a video supporting the vaccination programme, which I thought was responsible, and of all the things I received abuse for over the summer – of which there’s been several – that’s probably the one I’ve received the most abuse over.
"I’m probably going to keep out of that argument for the time being.
"When you want to try to make a difference, and take the right sort of stance on taking the knee and other things, then you know you are not going to please everybody and there are extreme views on lots of those subjects as well.
"I’m comfortable with that but I’m not going to town on things like the vaccine. I’m not the one who has to open some of that mail and some of those emails because my poor secretary has dealt with quite a lot of that, so that is the reality."
How have clubs reacted to vaccine drive?
Southgate remains supportive of the drive to get people vaccinated as he has seen some of his players struggle after contracting Covid-19. Despite the disruption football has had to endure due to the pandemic, he says some players are still reluctant to get jabbed.
"Our only way out of this pandemic across the world are the vaccinations, certainly for the vulnerable people," he added.
"I understand a lot of young people aren’t so keen, they are questioning things, I don’t know whether that is accurate or not. I never know now what to believe on social media: what’s news, what’s fake news. There are all sorts of campaigns.
“I think there is a slight concern that one or two younger players – Dean Henderson, Karl Darlow – have really suffered with the virus. It’s not necessarily accurate to say that as a young person you are not going to have complicated symptoms.
"I know the take-up is very varied across clubs and that's for individuals. If they are over 18 then they have the right to make their own decisions.
"No-one is saying they have to but I think as we go through the season some of the quarantining issues with Europe and everything else are going to be more complicated if you are not vaccinated. So I don't know if that will play a factor in how clubs feel."
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