Former England star says country is 'full of scumbags' after leaving for new life abroad

Lewis Henderson
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:55:04 +0000

Former England star Jonjo Shelvey has said the country is "full of scumbags" after leaving for a new life abroad in the United Arab Emirates.

Shelvey moved to Dubai as part of his managerial role with Arabian Falcons, saying he has "not felt unsafe once".

The area has been impacted by the US-Iran war, with explosions being heard and debris landing in the region since the conflict began.

Despite the war raging across the Middle East, Shelvey insists that people are going about their business as usual.

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"People are still going to the beaches, the malls, the restaurants. The first day, when there was a bomb, we just went out and went to the mall," he told the i.

"We just got told 'Everything's fine' and it was. I know a lot of people have gone home but I'm just like 'Why?' Trust them. The UAE has made us feel so safe."

Shelvey continued: "The only thing that's been a bit annoying is the kids are off school for three weeks… Even if my family have a big party and asks me to fly back for it, I say 'No'.

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"You want to see us, you come out here. I don't want to put anything at risk.

"My wife's sister was walking in London along the street after work and the phone got robbed. Just kids coming past on a bike. There's too many scumbags around."

The former Liverpool midfielder said his move to the dugout is being shaped by managers he previously worked under, including Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.

He told the Mail: "I'll always use Eddie Howe as a massive, massive tool.

"I've taken things from quite a lot of managers that I've worked with in the past, and one thing I've done since I was a player is, during training, if there was a good session, I'd go home, write it down, note it down - the drill, etc."

Shelvey added: "So I've basically got a big folder of all the drills I've done in my career, which I thought back then would be a good thing to have later on down the line, so I could use it.

"But yeah, I'd say Eddie Howe in terms of his detail and his professionalism.

"And I also loved working with Michael Laudrup at Swansea because of his attacking play. And then at the back end of my career, Scott Parker in terms of his motivational speaking.

"That blend - Howe's detail, Laudrup's attacking philosophy, and Parker's motivational edge - is the foundation Shelvey wants to build on as he takes his first managerial role in a project designed to push Arabian Falcons FC toward promotion and, in time, far beyond."