Wayne Rooney has stressed the importance of him and his Birmingham City players ignoring the “Wagatha Christie” backdrop to their match against Leicester City. Rooney said Birmingham could not afford to “get dragged into a sideshow” after the game was moved to Monday after being selected for a prime-time slot on Sky Sports. The match will probably be watched by millions but viewers may be disappointed that Jamie Vardy is set to miss out through injury.
The broadcaster would have been hoping for former England teammates Rooney, the Birmingham manager, and Vardy to face each other for the first time since the libel case between Coleen and Rebekah, their respective wives, but the Leicester forward is not expected to feature because of a knee problem. Rebekah Vardy lost her legal case against Coleen Rooney, leaving her with a substantial legal bill, reportedly of about £3m. After a two-week trial, which became a cultural talking point last year, the high court ruled that Rebekah must pay 90% of Coleen’s court costs.
