One of two Icelandic girls who met with England stars Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden in a quarantine busting hotel hook-up has admitted she was the one who shot the video which revealed their meeting – describing it as a ‘huge mistake’.
Law student Lara Clausen, 19, says she posted the video of the two young stars meeting with her and her cousin Nadia Sif Lindal Gunnarsdottir, 20, on SnapChat, because she did not realise how famous the footballers were.
Foden, 20, a rising star at Manchester City, and Greenwood, 18, who starred for Manchester United at the end of last season, both made their international debuts for England against Iceland on Saturday.
They were both axed from the squad and will miss the Nations League clash against Denmark tonight after the video revealed they had breached strict coronavirus quarantine rules set for the squad.
Today Greenwood apologised for the ’embarrassment’, while Foden also said sorry, describing the situation as a ‘poor decision’.
Meanwhile, Lara, who says she does not watch football, has now taken to Instagram to speak out about the incident.
In an interview with Icelandic news outlet DV, Lara said also felt sorry for the long-term girlfriend of Foden – who has a young son.
Law student Lara Clausen, 19, says she posted the video of the two young stars meeting with her and her cousin Nadia Sif Lindal Gunnarsdottir, 20, on SnapChat, because she did not realise how famous the footballers were
One of the girls uploaded pictures of Mason Greenwood (pictured left) and Phil Foden (pictured right) to social media
She said: ‘Honestly with all my conscience, I did not realise how famous these guys were. I do not watch football and have never done.
‘I did not realise what I was putting on the internet.
‘I had to learn the hard way that not everything is online, you have to be careful what you put on the internet.
‘I put this in a private story on my Snapchat and I thought it would never go any further, I did not realise who these guys were and how big it would be.
‘To answer the main question, I’m the person who took up this whole situation. It was a huge mistake.’
On the meeting, she told DV: ‘We did not wonder if they were quarantined. If we had known better, we would never have gone.
‘Many who have sent me that he (Foden) has a girlfriend and a child, I did not know.
‘I did not google the person before I went to meet him.
‘I feel for everyone around him. Family, girlfriend, teammates and him too.’
It comes after he friend and cousin, Nadia, told MailOnline how she had been chatting with young Manchester United star Greenwood for a ‘couple of days’ before he and fellow England starlet Foden visited Iceland for the Nations League game in Reykjavik.
They were among at least four local women who flirted with the players and discussed going to their hotel, though not all of the women did so.
The Icelandic girls met up with the stars who sneaked them into the hotel
Nadia brought friend and cousin Lara Clausen (pictured) to meet the two England stars. Nadia is a 19-year-old law student from Iceland
The two girls (Nadia pictured right and her cousin and friend Lara left) pictured on the night they went to the England team’s hotel to meet the young stars, who both made their debuts for the national team against Iceland on Saturday
City star Foden, who is thought of as a hot prospect for the future, regularly posts pictures with his young son, who turned one back in January
United’s Mason Greenwood broke up with his model girlfriend Harriet Robson back in May. The pair are pictured here together
This is the moment England stars Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden engage in a flighty chat with Icelandic girls
Nadia and Lara then met the young stars in the team hotel, away from the rooms the players were staying in. They said they spent the evening getting to know each other and enjoyed a ‘good night’ together.
When asked how close they came to the stars during the evening, Nadia declined to comment and would only say ‘they were perfect gentlemen’.
She told MailOnline: ‘We met online. I was talking to Mason for a couple of days before they came to Iceland.’ And she added: ‘They did not book the rooms. We did, and paid for them ourselves.’
It comes after videos revealed how the England stars had engaged in suggestive chat with at least four Icelandic girls, discussing the idea of them joining the footballers in their hotel.
One of the girls, Anita Gunnarsdottir, admitted being filmed flirting with the players with a friend, but insisted that she had decided not to go to their hotel. ‘I didn’t meet them. I’m not one of the girls who went to the hotel,’ she said.
The footage emerged hours after England manager Gareth Southgate confirmed the pair had been kicked out of the squad after they were filmed meeting with girls in the team hotel in Iceland – breaking strict coronavirus quarantine rules.
Nadia apologised for her part in the incident, saying she felt ‘really really bad’.
She told MailOnline: ‘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.
‘We didn’t even know who Phil was. 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.’
She added: ‘We haven’t spoken to them since. We don’t want to interrupt them because they are of course going through a lot right now. They haven’t contacted us.
‘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.’
A Snapchat clip released by DV appears to show England youngsters Phil Foden (pictured) and Mason Greenwood in a hotel room with female company
Phil Foden (left) and Mason Greenwood are both heading home after breaking quarantine rules, Gareth Southgate has confirmed today
Lara added: ‘They were just young. We were all young and stupid and we all make mistakes. They treated us really well. They were such gentlemen. Really nice guys.’
Foden has since apologised on Twitter, saying: ‘When I was called up by Gareth for these games, my first reaction was that of immense pride. To pull on that shirt for the senior team in my England debut was an incredible privilege.
‘I am a young player with a lot to learn, but I am aware of the huge responsibility I have in representing Manchester City and England at this level.
‘On this occasion I made a poor decision and my behaviour didn’t meet the standards expected of me.’
Meanwhile, Greenwood said in a statement released through the Manchester United website: ‘Having now had the chance to reflect on what’s happened, I can only apologise to everyone for the embarrassment I have caused.
‘It was irresponsible of me to break the COVID-19 protocols which are in place to protect players, staff and the public. In particular, I want to apologise to Gareth Southgate, for letting him down, when he had shown great trust in me.’
‘Playing for England was one of the proudest moments in my life and I only have myself to blame for this huge mistake. I promise my family, the fans, Manchester United and England that this is a lesson I will learn from.’
Reports of the hotel meeting came after Greenwood and Foden both made their debuts in England’s 1-0 away win against Iceland in the Nations League on Saturday.
Yesterday, England manager Gareth Southgate confirmed the pair will travel home separately from the rest of the team.
The national team arrived in Iceland having been given an exemption from the country’s quarantine rules, which mean all foreign travellers have to quarantine for 14 days – regardless of how long their stay in the country is.
Instead, Gareth Southgate’s men were banned from meeting anyone outside of their bubble and were only allowed to go to their training facilities and the match while in the country.
The pair’s conduct in bringing girls back has also contravened the FA’s behavioural rules for players whilst on international duty.
England boss Gareth Southgate yesterday faced the media for a press conference where he discussed the issue.
He said: ‘Two of the boys have broken the Covid-19 guidelines, in terms of our secure bubble.
Foden and Greenwood (pictured with Gareth Southgate) made their senior debuts this week. Southgate said the pair would fly home separately from the rest of the squad
Foden, above with Man City boss Pep Guardiola, has a one-year-old son and a girlfriend who he has been in a long term relationship with
England’s senior stars trained on Monday morning, but Foden and Greenwood were absent. The team are set to face Denmark in their next match
‘We had to decide very quickly that they couldn’t have any interaction with the rest of the team and wouldn’t be able to train.
‘Obviously they have been naive. We have dealt with it appropriately. I recognise their age but the whole world is dealing with this pandemic.
‘Now they will have to travel back to England separately.’
He added: ‘Nothing has happened in the areas we occupy in the hotel.’
It has been reported by news outlet DV that the girls did not go into the players’ room, but instead two other rooms had been booked where the could meet the woman, who both reportedly from Iceland.
The news outlet reports that, at first, only one of the woman was going to meet Greenwood, before a friend of hers decided to go with her.
A spokesperson for Greenwood’s club, Manchester United, said they were ‘disappointed’.
The spokesperson said: ‘Manchester United are liaising with the Football Association and are disappointed with the actions of Mason Greenwood over this situation.’
A statement from City read: ‘It is clear that Phil’s actions were totally inappropriate.
‘His behaviour not only directly contravenes strict guidelines related to Covid-19, but also falls well below the standard expected of a Manchester City player and England international.’
Greenwood (pictured left) is a rising star at Manchester United. The club have called his actions ‘disappointing’. Foden (pictured right) is also highly rated by Manchester City. The club says the player’s actions were ‘totally inappropriate’
A spokesperson for the England national team tonight added: ‘Whilst in Iceland, both Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood spent time outside of our private team area, which was a breach of our COVID-19 rules.
‘While they did not leave the team hotel, it was an unacceptable breach of our protocol. They have both apologised for their serious lack of judgement.
‘The FA will be launching a full investigation into the circumstances leading up to this breach.
‘We have spoken to the Iceland FA to offer our apologies for this incident and to ensure them that we are taking the appropriate steps.
‘We have also assured the Danish FA that all other players and staff members have been isolated within our group throughout this period.
‘Our immediate priority now is preparing the team for the match against Denmark tomorrow.’