Declan Rice apologises
Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Declan Rice has apologised for an Instagram comment.
Rice has described his 'Up the Ra' post as naive and says it "doesn't represent" who he is.
He took to Instagram Stories today with a statement.
It began, 'I am aware that a poorly-expressed comment I made when I was a junior player has been circulated on social media.'
'I recognise now that my attempt to show support for my teammates at the time could be negatively interpreted.'
Rice finished, 'While my naive words were not meant to be a political opinion an do not represent who I am, I sincerely apologise for any offence caused.'
Rice now plays for West Ham having switched his international allegiance from Ireland.
He could make his England debut against Czech Republic tomorrow night in a Euro 2020 qualifier match.
