FA official says Rebekah Vardy’s evidence in game photo is ‘simply untrue’
Rebekah Vardy’s testimony as to why she sat behind Coleen Rooney at a football match is “simply wrong,” a former Football Association (FA) official told the High Court.
Arpreet Robertson, a former FA ticketing manager and family liaison officer, was asked about the seating arrangement at one of England’s matches at Euro 2016.
Ms Robertson told the court she believed Ms Vardy made a “decision” to sit behind Ms Rooney at the game and claimed in her testimony that Ms Vardy’s evidence about it was “simply untrue”.
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Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy at back during a game in England (John Walton/PA)
In her own testimony, Ms Vardy said: “One day we were going to a game and Coleen and her family were sitting in our seats. Instead of making a fuss, we sat down on the next available seats.”
Ms Vardy denied she had switched places on purpose to look close to Ms Rooney and in the pictures.
However, in her testimony, Ms Robertson said: “Becky never specifically refused to take her assigned seats, her guests did so instead, but it seemed like she wanted to be seated in the seats that were directly in the eye-line of anyone who.” Coleen looks at or takes pictures.
“Indeed, their behavior during the game suggested that their focus had little or nothing to do with the game of football.
“I remember Becky being constantly on the phone, often taking selfies, and generally showing very little interest in the game itself.”
Ms Robertson added: “The next morning the tabloids were full of photos of her sitting right behind Coleen.
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“It was exactly the kind of media attention that the FA and I were trying to avoid.”
In her testimony, Ms Robertson also said she would reserve seats at matches for her and members of the FA security team, but found that a number of people were already in those seats.
She continued, “I asked them to move but they refused and were incredibly rude and abusive to me, noting words like ‘we can sit where we want the fuck.’
“An argument ensued that almost made me cry. I quickly realized that these people were Becky’s guests.
“Becky could clearly hear what was being said between me and her guests.”
Ms Robertson said she and the FA security team were later seated elsewhere, which “at least partially compromised safety for the players’ entire family and friend group”.
When asked by Ms Vardy’s solicitor Hugh Tomlinson QC how she knew Ms Vardy had chosen to sit behind Ms Rooney, she replied: “I believe from what I’ve heard from my colleagues that other seats were available , so I concluded it was a choice.”
But she also added, “I don’t know if it’s intentional.”
In her testimony, Ms Robertson said there was an “incident” during the 2006 World Cup where the wives and girlfriends of England players were repeatedly photographed together.
She continued: “This coverage caused a stir in the media and overshadowed at least part of football.
“Since then the FA as an organization have wanted to avoid another similar episode because it felt such attention spoiled coverage of the tournament and the sport itself.”
Ms Robertson said the practice at Euro 2016 was to “distribute” the wives and girlfriends who attend football matches “to prevent the press from taking group shots which generate more public interest”.
The former official also discussed an event in St Petersburg for the 2018 World Cup, at which Ms Vardy was accused – but denies – of staging a paparazzi photo of some of the England players’ (wags) wives and girlfriends.
She said in her testimony: “I remember several ladies at the family hotel, sisters and mothers of players, being upset that they hadn’t been invited to dinner, but the photo posted seemed to explain why that was like a shot von Wag’s target of the night.”
She continued, “Other women featured in the photo have also expressed their anger and dissatisfaction with me at being included in the photo orchestrated by Becky.
“One of the players in the squad told me straight away that he was also angry with this constellation because they didn’t compete for the public with their private lives.”
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/fa-employee-says-rebekah-vardys-evidence-on-match-photo-simply-untrue-41655240.html FA official says Rebekah Vardy’s evidence in game photo is ‘simply untrue’
