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WATCH: "I do think he's been taken advantage of there" - Chris Coleman defends Wayne Rooney

Chris Coleman has jumped to the defence of Wayne Rooney by claiming the England captain did not d...



WATCH: "I do think he'...
Soccer

WATCH: "I do think he's been taken advantage of there" - Chris Coleman defends Wayne Rooney

Chris Coleman has jumped to the defence of Wayne Rooney by claiming the England captain did not do much wrong by reportedly having a drink after England's victory over Scotland.

The Manchester United forward was pictured in his England gear after the 3-0 victory at Wembley Stadium and was said to have been drunk at a wedding party.

Rooney later "unreservedly apologised" for his  behaviour but hit out at critics this week saying: "What's been going on is disgraceful. I'm proud to play for my country and I'm proud of my achievements. It's not finished yet.

"It feels as if the media are trying to write my obituary and I won't let that happen. I think what's been going on is disgraceful. It shows a lack of respect and I think enough to enough."

Speaking on Sky Sports' 'Goals on Sunday' programme, the Wales manager explained he did not think the 31-year-old had done much wrong by having a drink, provided he did not do so against the wishes of his manager.

"At one end we say 'who do these players think they are?'," he said. "They're not acting normally, like normal people. Then when you act normally and have a couple of beers[...] I mean he wasn't causing trouble.

"He wasn't being violent. He wasn't abusing people. He was sat down having a drink at a wedding as I understand it.

"What's wrong with that? Personally I think if he's got the night off, I don't see anything wrong with it. That's normal behaviour and someone has taken advantage of that."

Coleman continued by sharing his experience of the enforcing rules on his players in the international squad and added that it's normal for players to go out and relax after being in such a highly pressurized environment.

"Our training camp is a dry camp until after the game. After the game, if the players are not playing for another week, we normally have a few beers together in the bar. We don't go mad. Some of the players may go out for a bite to eat, they may go to Cardiff. 

"But I encourage that. I think it's good for them. They've been wrapped up for seven days or ten days if they've got a double header, they need a little bit of a release. They need to relax. They are normal people and human beings. But, I do think he's been taken advantage of there.

"Somebody has sat next to him and taken a photo and immediately posted it. The ramifications are, well, we all know. For me, it all depends on whether he was breaking a rule from Gareth [Southgate], the manager. 

"If he was breaking a rule I'm sure he'll need to apologise and I'm sure he will. If he wasn't, I don't think what he was doing was anything out of the ordinary."

Coleman also pointed out the growth in interest in football over the past 25 years and how increased coverage of the sport has led to astronomical amounts of money being pumped into the game. 

"The thing is there's so much money involved. There's so much interest in the game, the game is bigger now than it has ever been. There's so much money and with that money comes jealousy. With that money comes responsibility."

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