Declan Rice appeared to call Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona a ‘bald c***’ during a heated confrontation following England’s hard-fought win in the Last 16 of the European Championship.
England, having come from behind, secured their place in the quarter-finals with a win over Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen, setting up a clash with Switzerland. Rice played the entire 120 minutes in central midfield and was involved in a tense post-match altercation.
The incident occurred when Calzona approached the officials to dispute a decision. Rice confronted Calzona, who then pushed the England midfielder. This led to players from both teams rushing in, with Rice seen shouting at the Slovakian contingent.
A video surfaced on social media showing Rice seemingly calling Calzona a ‘bald c***’. England teammate Ivan Toney intervened, pulling Rice away, while another member of the Slovakia coaching staff pushed him in the chest. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale also attempted to calm Rice as the exchange continued. The referee issued a yellow card during the scuffle, but it was unclear who received it.
In his post-match interview, Rice did not mention the incident, instead focusing on England’s victory and praising Jude Bellingham for his crucial equalizer. He also acknowledged Slovakia’s strong performance.
“I cannot describe the feeling representing England. European Championship round of 16, you look up at the clock and think ‘we could be going home here’. There are players saying to each other one minute to go and there is that inner fight and spirit in us,” Rice told BBC Sport.
“We have got that togetherness tonight, we would do anything to protect this manager. Keep going and keep fighting, it is an honour to be a part of it – we are going to keep going. It is crazy because if that was me that was going over the bar!
“It was a big moment for 21-years old, that takes a lot of guts. People don’t understand what you have to go through to get over the line. We are not playing against invisible men. They are top footballers, they kept going after us.
“It is about waiting for those moments as the game got stretched we created more. The fans tonight I cannot speak highly enough of them. So grateful they are all here to experience that.”
Harry Kane scored the winner just 52 seconds into extra-time, ensuring England’s progression to the quarter-finals. They will face Switzerland next Saturday with a spot in the semi-finals on the line.
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