THE Women’s World Cup tossed up huge drama as an Ireland player refused to shake hands with an Australian rival.
Ahead of kick-off between Australia and Ireland‘s opening World Cup game, Ruseha Littlejohn refused to shake the hand of Aussie counterpart Caitlin Foord.
GettyCaitlin Foord and Ruesha Littlejohn were at the centre of controversy after a handshake snub[/caption]
Littlejohn shockingly snubbed a handshake with Foord
GettyThe incident is rumoured to have come from Littlejohn’s split with Ireland captain Katie McCabe[/caption]
The unusual snub is suggested to have been motivated by Littlejohn’s split from long-term partner and Ireland captain Katie McCabe, 27.
They separated after more than seven years together shortly before the World Cup – as confirmed by McCabe on the UK’s Player Tribune.
According to the Daily Mail, McCabe and Foord – who play for Women’s Super League giants Arsenal – are good friends off the field.
The pair recently went on holiday to Ibiza with a large group of friends, with photos of the trip being shared to Instagram.
But as co-hosts Australia were shaking hands with Ireland before kick-off, Littlejohn, 33, was seen shockingly skipping over Foord’s extended hand.
Tensions following the incident appeared to boil over towards the end of the game.
Littlejohn is said to have made an attempt to approach Foord, 28, while on the field of play, only for her to be restrained by a number of team-mates.
SunSport does not imply that Foord had anything to do with the split of McCabe and Littlejohn.
McCabe, right, recently confirmed she and Littlejohn had separated after more than seven yearsSportsfile – Subscription
instagram @katie_mccabe11Foord, left, was pictured on holiday in Ibiza with fellow Arsenal star McCabe, right[/caption]
instagram @rueshaljMcCabe and Littlejohn were together for seven years[/caption]
An insider from the Matildas told the Mail: “Clearly there is still some tension surrounding from Littlejohn’s side of things which looks like it spilled over a bit on Thursday night.
“Caitlin and Katie are great friends. They play together for Arsenal. They spend a lot of time together. But there’s nothing more to it than that.”
The outlet’s report adds that Foord declined to comment via her management on the incident after being contacted.
In reaction to the video posted on TikTok, one user said: “Ruesha that’s too personal.”
A second wrote: “It’s now clear that there’s some drama between Katie, Reusha and Caitlin.”
Meanwhile, the user who posted the video added: “I know they might not be close but it [is] weird.”
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