Wycombe Wanderers midfielder Marcus Bean has taken to Twitter to defend England star Raheem Sterling after calls for the forward to be drop from the World Cup squad over a tattoo of a gun on his leg.
Sterling has received criticism from anti-gun campaigners over the tattoo, saying it the image was 'sickening'.
The Manchester City player added that the tattoo had a deeper meaning, making a promise to himself that he would "never touch a gun" after his father was shot dead in Jamaica when he was a boy.
Social media went into meltdown with plenty of people divided over the tattoo.
However, Bean took to Twitter to back Sterling up over the image:
Tbh i don't think Sterling should of even explained the tattoo. It was personal. Never seen a more concerted effort to discredit a YOUNG sportsman before. He's handled it all so professionally and excelled on the pitch. 👊🏾💪🏿
— Marcus Bean (@MarcusBean) May 29, 2018
The FA also defended Sterling. A spokesman said: "We all support Sterling and acknowledge the honest and heartfelt account he gave."
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