England footballer Raheem Sterling defends 'disgusting' assault rifle tattoo
England forward Raheem Sterling has defended his new tattoo of an M16 assault rifle on his leg after it was branded "disgusting".
The 23-year-old, who plays for Manchester City, posted a picture of himself training with his England team-mates at St George's Park, with a tattoo of an assault rifle on his right calf clearly visible.
When you're training and realised you ain't post on the gram in couple days.?
A post shared by Raheem Sterling x ? (@sterling7) on May 27, 2018 at 2:41pm PDT
Lucy Cope, who founded Mothers Against Guns after her son Damian was shot dead outside a club in central London in July 2002, said the ink was "totally unacceptable".
She told the Sun: "We demand he has the tattoo lasered off or covered up with a different tattoo.
"If he refuses he should be dropped from the England team.
"He's supposed to be a role model but chooses to glamorise guns."
But the former Liverpool player, who is among five England strikers heading to Russia for the World Cup, alluded to the tattoo having a "deeper meaning".
In a post on Instagram, he said: "When I was 2 my father died from being gunned down to death I made a promise to myself I would never touch a gun in my life time, I shoot with my right foot so it has a deeper meaning N still unfinished."
