The women who secretly met with Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood in England’s team hotel in Iceland have apologized after the players were sent home by manager Gareth Southgate.
The pair breached quarantine rules by inviting Nadia Sif Lindal Gunnarsdottir, 20, and her 19-year-old cousin Lara Clausen to England’s Reykjavik hotel.
The Sun reported the Three Lions were under strict instructions not to meet with anyone outside their bubble, having traveled to Iceland for their UEFA Nations League match last Saturday.
Snapchat footage of the players filmed by Clausen was obtained by Icelandic outlet DV and the players were subsequently sent home rather than join their team-mates for Tuesday’s Nations League clash with Denmark in Copenhagen.
“I feel really sorry for them and I never wanted to put them in that position. But we didn’t know any better, and we didn’t know that they were quarantining, or else we wouldn’t have gone to meet them,” Gunnarsdottir told DV (via MailOnline translation).
Clausen added that it was a “huge mistake” and that they were “young and stupid.”
The law student also expressed regret at posting the video online, having not realized who the two players were.
Gunnarsdottir echoed a similar sentiment. Having met Greenwood online days before England arrived in Iceland, she was unaware the duo were footballers.
“We didn’t even know who Phil was,” she said.
“I asked Phil who he was. I’m not that much into football. I don’t watch football at all. We didn’t even know that Mason played for Man United.”
Greenwood, 18, broke up with his girlfriend Harriet Robson earlier this year.
Foden, 20, is said to be in a long-term relationship with Rebecca Cooke, and the couple had a son together in January last year.
“I did not know,” Clausen said of Foden.
“I did not google the person before I went to meet him. I feel for everyone around him. Family, girlfriend, team-mates and him too.”
In a press conference on Monday, Southgate said the players had been “naive,” per BBC Sport.
Manchester City midfielder Foden has since offered a “full apology” to the England camp, the club and his family on Twitter.
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Similarly, United relayed a statement from Greenwood in which he admitted to being “irresponsible” in breaching the rules and apologized “for the embarrassment I have caused.”
The pair had both made their senior debuts for England at the Laugardalsvollur Stadium on Saturday. Foden started the clash while Greenwood was brought on from the bench as Raheem Sterling secured a 1-0 win for the Three Lions with a late penalty.
Gunnarsdottir would not be drawn on the details of their encounter with the England stars: “It was a good night that we had, of course. We were all the four of us spending time together and getting to know each other. They were really nice guys.”
“They treated us really well,” Clausen added. “They were such gentlemen.”
