An FA official was nearly ‘in tears’ after being abused by friends of Rebekah Vardy who were sat in her reserved seats during a Euro 2016 game – despite the WAG allegedly moving places to ‘maximise her media attention’, the High Court has heard.
Former FA family liaison officer, Harpreet Robertson, told how Rebekah ditched her allocated seats so she could sit behind Coleen Rooney for the clash between England and Wales.
The court had previously heard Rebekah sat behind Coleen to ‘maximise media attention’ and it led to ‘a commotion’ with members of Rebekah’s party and ended up causing security concerns.
Mrs Robertson dismissed Rebekah’s claims that she ended up sitting behind Coleen because the WAG had taken her seats and she ‘didn’t want to make a fuss’.
Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy pictured atthe England v Wales football game at the 2016 Euros
Former FA family liaison officer, Harpreet Robertson (Pictured in a court sketch), told how Rebekah ditched her allocated seats so she could sit behind Coleen Rooney for the clash between England and Wales
Happier times: Rebekah and Coleen celebrating England’s win against Wales at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in France in 2016. The moment was discussed in court today, during which Mrs Rooney’s lawyer accused Vardy of deliberately sitting behind Coleen to ‘boost her image’ and help her newspaper column, a claim Vardy denied
The court had previously heard Rebekah sat behind Coleen to ‘maximise media attention’ and it led to ‘a commotion’ with members of Rebekah’s party and ended up causing security concerns
Describing the events she said in her written statement: ‘During the game against Wales on June 16 2016, Rebecca and her five guests were given seats several rows in front of Coleen and some 15-20 seats to her left, when looking at the pitch, so nowhere near each other.
‘Around 10 minutes before kick-off, I arrived at my seat to find a number of people already sat in the seats I had reserved for myself and FA security team members.
‘I asked them to move but they refused and were incredibly rude and abusive to me, remarking words to the effect of “we can sit where we like, f**k off”.
‘An altercation followed which almost reduced me to tears. I soon realised that these people were the guests of Becky.’
Mrs Robertson, who had worked for the FA for 10 years, said: ‘Becky was sat in the row in front my seats, and where two of her guests were now sitting, in the row directly behind Coleen and her family.’
She said Coleen’s group were ‘sat in the seats that had always been allocated to them and were not sat in Becky’s allocated seats as Becky contends.
Rebekah also ended up having another seating row with the FA for England’s World Cup semi-final showdown with Croatia (Pictured), the hearing was told
The court heard that Rebekah was annoyed after her large party of seven people were placed in a back row seat
Rebekah Vardy pictured at the 2018 Croatia v England match with her husband Jamie
Mrs Robertson added: ‘Becky could plainly hear what was being said between me and her guests.
‘I recall that Becky’s guests were a man who had a private plane, and his sons, and that Becky would sometimes travel on his private plane.
‘After some back and forth, together with the FA security team, I took the decision to sit elsewhere.
‘This compromised security for the entire players family and friends group to at least some extent.
‘The seat that Becky was sat in during the game on 16 June 2016 was not her allocated seat.
‘Coleen and her children had already sat in their allocated seats by the time Becky came to take a seat. Becky had chosen to sit behind Coleen rather than take the seats that I had allocated to her.’
Mrs Robertson told the court how Rebekah did not even appear to be interested in the match in which her husband scored the first goal in a 2-1 victory.
She said ‘it appeared’ that Rebekah ‘wanted to be sat in the seats that were right in the eye line of anyone looking at, or photographing, Coleen.’
She continued in her statement: ‘Indeed, her behaviour during the game suggested to me that her focus was little or nothing to do with the football match.
‘I remember that Becky was constantly on her phone, often taking selfies and generally showing very little interest in the match itself.’
She said ‘it was Rebekah’s guests who had ‘expressly refused to take the seats that she had been allocated,’.
Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney both arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice in London
Rebekah also ended up having another seating row with the FA for England’s World Cup semi-final showdown with Croatia, the hearing was told.
The court heard that Rebekah was annoyed after her large party of seven people were placed in a back row seat.
It’s alleged Rebekah branded her seat ‘unacceptable’.
It came after wives and girlfriends in the England squad were left upset over a line-up picture Rebekah is alleged to have organised when a group went out for dinner in St Petersburg.
She wrote in her statement: ‘I recall being informed by a member of the touring party that Becky was contractually obliged to get a certain or minimum number of photographs from a celebrity / public relations perspective during the tournament.
‘For example, I recall her setting up photos of her boarding a private plane to Russia.
‘Regarding the World Cup WAG photo I recall being told by a member of the touring party that Becky had not asked some of the older ladies present at the hotel to attend the dinner she had arranged.
‘For example, I remember that several ladies in the family hotel, players’ sisters and mothers, were upset that they had not been invited to the dinner but the photograph set up seemed to explain why as a WAGS shot was the objective of the night.’
She said on the day of the photo she had been given ‘tip off’ that there were paparazzi being set up to take photographs of the WAGs.’
A court artist’s sketch of Coleen Rooney, watched by Rebekah Vardy, being re examined by barrister David Sherborne today
The tip came from Harry Maguire’s agent Kenneth Shepherd who was asking in the interests of looking after Maguire’s partner Fern who was due to be in attendance.
Mrs Robertson said: ‘Other ladies featured in the photograph also expressed annoyance and dissatisfaction to me at being set up to be in the photograph orchestrated by Becky.
‘One of the players in the squad told me directly that he was also angry at this set-up as they did not court public attention with their private lives.
‘Similarly, Harry Maguire’s then girlfriend, Fern, later expressed her upset to me that she had taken part and commented that she was embarrassed, wasn’t prepared and hadn’t expected to be put in that position.
Of the World Cup semi-final she said: ‘I recall that just before kick-off Becky had once again decided she would not sit in the seats allocated to her.
‘All of the category oneseats are good viewing but I would often rotate the ‘better’ seats to keep things fair and this time it was Becky’s turn to sit further back – by just eight rows.
‘Becky decided to sit a few rows further forward and when I walked past her to my seat, she grabbed me to complain that she was not happy with the seats she had been given.
‘I explained that there was rotation in use and, in any event, I had allocated her this seat because Becky had a group of seven with her and this was the only group of seven seats together within the allocated section.
‘She dismissed this explanation and expressed her annoyance and called it unacceptable.’
