England supporters booed Ben White after he netted the opening goal in England’s 1-1 draw against Uruguay during a friendly at Wembley on Friday.
The Arsenal defender tapped in a corner at the far post just 11 minutes after entering the match as a second-half substitute but was met with significant jeers when his name was announced as the scorer.
White’s challenging evening continued when he conceded a penalty in stoppage time after VAR determined that he had fouled Federico ViΓ±as. Federico Valverde successfully converted the penalty, preventing England from securing a win.
This marked White’s return to the squad for the first time since departing the 2022 World Cup team for “personal reasons” and subsequently opting out for the remainder of Sir Gareth Southgate’s tenure amid reports of a disagreement with assistant coach Steve Holland.
Manager Thomas Tuchel included him in a 35-man roster following Jarell Quansah’s injury and urged fans to refrain from expressing negative reactions during his pre-match comments.
However, this plea went unheeded as the home crowd voiced their sentiments when White substituted for Fikayo Tomori in the 69th minute.
With the score still at 0-0, he faced widespread boos, with some fans also chanting “you let your country down.”
It seemed the moment had passed as he was not booed while in possession, but England supporters were unforgiving when he scored his first international goal.
The Arsenal defender played at centre-back alongside Harry Maguire, one of the players Tuchel mentioned White needed to “clear the air” with.
Tuchel stated prior to the match: “I believe it is important for him to resolve any issues with his teammates, and I think he is doing that, and I believe he will once players return who were with him at the World Cup, and then we will proceed from there.
“Let’s see how it unfolds and how he feels. If he feels as confident and comfortable as he anticipated. So far, that has been the case, and he has my backing.
“Hopefully, he receives support from the fans, and we will take it from there.”
PA contributed to this report.
