Panama players forced to be separated in training ahead of England match at World Cup

FootballSports
27 Jun 2026 • 3:36 AM MYT
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Panama stars Cecilio Waterman and Jose Luis Rodriguez had to be separated during an altercation in a training session.

England face Panama in the third and final group stage game tomorrow at 10pm, with the Three Lions needing a win, or matching Ghana's result, to finish top of the group.

They go into the game as favourites against the Central American side, who appear to be fighting amongst themselves ahead of the contest.

The incident happened as Waterman and Luis Rodriguez put their arms on each other, both shoving one another in the heated moment.

Teammates had to step in as tempers flared between the pair.

Panama is the only remaining team at the World Cup that has not scored, and is guaranteed to finish bottom of the group due to Fifa's new head-to-head rule.

Bukayo Saka could start for the Three Lions tomorrow against Panama, having been named on the bench in the last couple of games as he manages an Achilles injury.

His club teammate at Arsenal, Eberechi Eze, has backed him to impress, labelling the winger as a "special player".

Image from: Panama players forced to be separated in training ahead of England match at World Cup
Panama stars Cecilio Waterman and Jose Luis Rodriguez had to be separated | Source: FIFA

Eze said: "He's an incredibly talented player, and his level of understanding of the game is insane.

"I feel like he's a player who makes the right decision a lot of the time, and he's so effective, so efficient.

"I enjoy playing with him a lot, because you always know what you're going to get from him, you can always link up with him, and he's a fun player to play with.

"I'd say his decision-making is just experience and his learning growing up.

Image from: Panama players forced to be separated in training ahead of England match at World Cup
Bukayo Saka could start for England tomorrow | Source: GETTY

"I feel like that's something that he's probably worked on from a young age, and when you're just seeing it now, we see it in the high stage.

"It's definitely a difficult skill to cultivate, so he is a special player."

A victory for England tomorrow will guarantee them top spot and a last-32 tie against a third-place team.

Eze did not put too much focus on the matter, remaining confident that the Three Lions can take on anyone.

Image from: Panama players forced to be separated in training ahead of England match at World Cup
Eberechi Eze | Source: GETTY

He said: "I don't think it makes a difference for us personally.

"I feel like we'll set out to win regardless, so going into the game with the same mentality, the same focus, you're not going to drop your focus regardless of it being the last game.

"We've got the same goal, the same aim, and we'll be going to achieve that."

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