England manager Phil Neville was hired in January 2018. Neville enjoyed a decorated playing career for Manchester United (1994 to 2005) and Everton (2005 to 2013). Photo by Sebastien Nogier/EPA-EFE
July 2 (UPI) -- England manager Phil Neville was irritated about representatives from the U.S. team scouting out the hotel his team is staying at during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
U.S. coach Jill Ellis confirmed that two team staff members were at England's hotel Sunday morning, before the squads are set to face off in a semifinal clash Tuesday in Lyon. Ellis said the staffers were "planning ahead" in the event of her team winning Tuesday's match and advancing to the Women's World Cup Final, which will be played in the same city.
"It's not a concern," Neville told reporters during a pre-match news conference. "The only thing I would say is that it's not something I would want my team [operations] person doing. It's not something that England would do. We are happy with our hotel."
Neville said England was training at the time, before reiterating that it was not something his team would do. He also said the hotel scouting was not an unfair advantage and would have "no bearing on the game."
"I am sure that Jill probably wouldn't have been happy with that arrangement," Neville said. "I wouldn't have been if that was my team ops person going around. I am sure they will be dealing with their infrastructure within their own discipline problem."
Elli said she assumes every team is checking out other hotels and planning ahead for future games. She said the two staffers were likely an administrator and her boss.
"I just thought, 'What are they doing?' It's not etiquette, really," Neville said. "It's not something I would allow from our organization."
Ellis was also asked if the move signaled overconfidence or arrogance on the part of her squad, but dismissed the notion.
"It's important that our team has confidence," Ellis said. "I don't think in any way this is an arrogant team.
"I think this team knows that they've got to earn everything, that we've got tough opponents still ahead of us, and we have to earn every right to advance in this tournament."
England battles the USA at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon. The winner battles Sweden or the Netherlands in the final.
