England players complain of ‘strange stains’ on kits at the end of World Cup games

A number of players at this winter's World Cup have complained about the 'strange' stains on their kit after games, according to reports.

In the aftermath of Sunday's round of 16 clash between England and Senegal, a number of players could be seen with green marks on their kit.

Luke Shaw, for example, sported the prominent stains – which are different to your standard grass stain – throughout the 3-0 win, as did Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham.

There have been suggestions that ground staff are using the 'Augusta trick' to make the pitches look pristine.

Luke Shaw had the green stains marked across his shirt throughout the round of 16 tie. Image credit: Alamy

Those who look after the Augusta National golf course in Georgia use paint on the greens during the Masters tournament to make it look perfect – and some believe Qatar ground staff are doing the same.

But FIFA are 'adamant' that is not the case, according to The Daily Mail, although they say the warm-up areas are being marked out with green paint.

Still, questions marks continue to be raised amongst players – including some of the England squad – over the unusual stains, adds the report.

Goals from Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka sealed a relatively straightforward win for Gareth Southgate's side against a lacklustre Senegal.

The Three Lions will now face reigning world champions France in Saturday's quarter-final.

England boss Southgate has admitted Didier Deschamps' side are the biggest threat at this winter's tournament.

"They're world champions with an incredible depth of talent and outstanding individual players," he said. "They're very difficult to play against and score goals against, so it's a fantastic challenge and a brilliant game to prepare for.

"The two quarter-finals that are already in place are historic rivalries. It's a great game to be involved with and to test ourselves against the very best."

He also mentioned France's all-time top goalscorer, Olivier Giroud, and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann rather than the inevitable Kylian Mbappe.

"I think [Antoine] Griezmann now has over 70 consecutive games for France and I think he's also a phenomenal player," he said.

"We know Olivier Giroud so well and they also have outstanding young midfield players. Everywhere you look, when we're studying France at every age group, they have incredible depth of talent at every position."

Image credit: Alamy

Declan Rice, meanwhile, thinks England are "silencing their critics" this winter.

“We’re silencing the critics. I’ve said it all along. I don’t think we get the credit we deserve in our performances," he said after the Senegal game.

"I think if you look at other teams, like Holland and Argentina, they win their games comfortably and they get called masterclasses.

“With us, it always gets picked off. The negative things always come that way. If you look at the last couple of games, it’s been faultless. I think countries, like I said the other day, should be starting to fear us now because we’re a great team.”