World football gossip circles are in overdrive following a stunning on-field incident between two rival strikers after Thursday night’s World Cup opener between Australia and Ireland.
Video footage shows Irish striker Ruesha Littlejohn clearly refusing to shake hands with Aussie star Caitlin Foord just before kickoff in what is a highly unusual snub in soccer.
Eyewitnesses say tensions boiled over to the point where Littlejohn appeared to make an attempt to approach Foord while the sides were still on the pitch after the match, only to be physically restrained by a number of her teammates.
Now rumours are rife about what motivated the bizarre behaviour by the Irish striker, and fans are speculating that it could have something to do with Littlejohn’s recent split from long-time partner and Irish captain Katie McCabe.
One of the Ireland’s glamour football couples, Littlejohn and McCabe separated after just over seven years together, with McCabe confirming the break-up during an interview the UK’s Players Tribune shortly before the World Cup.
Footage shows Ruesha Littlejohn completely ignoring Foord in the handshake procession before Ireland’s 1-0 loss to the Matildas on Thursday night
Cailtin Foord is pictured facing off with Littlejohn during the team’s opening match of the World Cup
It’s understood McCabe and Foord, who both play for UK Premier League powerhouse Arsenal, are good friends and recently holidayed in Ibiza together with a large group of friends.
Foord also recently became single after splitting from Swiss midfielder and Arsenal teammate Lia Walti.
Daily Mail Australia does not infer that Foord had anything to do with the breakdown of Littlejohn and McCabe’s relationship.
Footage of the ‘blanked’ handshake has clocked up thousands of views on TikTok, with comments zeroing in on Littlejohn blatantly skipping Foord’s extended hand.
‘It’s now clearly [sic] that there’s some drama between Katie, Reusha and Caitlin,’ wrote one Tik Tok user.
‘Ruesha that’s too personal’, wrote another.
Contacted via her management, Foord declined to make any comment about the incident.
However, Matildas insiders have insisted that Foord and McCabe are simply good mates and their friendship had no bearing on McCabe’s break-up with Littlejohn.
Foord led the Matildas out on to the pitch in the absence of injured skipper Sam Kerr and was snubbed by Littlejohn soon after
Ireland captain Katie McCabe recently confirmed her split from teammate Littlejohn
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McCabe is seen shaking the hand of injured Aussie skipper Sam Kerr after the defeat
Littlejohn and McCabe seen here in January 2023 – several months before they split
Foord and McCabe are good friends and teammates for UK soccer powerhouse Arsenal
Foord (left) and McCabe are said to be part of a tight-knit friend circle in England
Until recently Foord was in a relationship with fellow Arsenal teammate and Swiss international Lia Walti (pictured)
‘Clearly there is still some tension surrounding from Littlejohn’s side of things which looks like it spilled over a bit on Thursday night,’ a source close to the team told Daily Mail Australia.
‘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.’
News of Littlejohn and McCabe’s split recently made headline news in Ireland with McCabe referring in an interview to Littlejohn in the past tense as ‘my partner at the time’ in a sure sign that they are no longer together.
It’s believed the interview was given just two days before the World Cup.
In the piece, McCabe describes how she was taken under her wing by Ireland legend Emma Byrne when she signed for Arsenal at the tail end of 2015.
After a little over a year with the North London side, then-Ireland manager Colin Bell called Katie to inform her that he was appointing the Arsenal star as captain.
Happier times: McCabe (L) and Littlejohn during their seven-year relationship
The couple are seen here after the FIFA Women’s World Cup playoff match in October 2022
‘Then a bit more than a year later, in July 2017, things got even more insane,’ said McCabe.
‘I was on a trip to Coney Island, Northern Ireland, with Ruesha, my partner at the time, and her family. At some point I checked my phone, and I saw that I had a missed call from Colin Bell, the Ireland coach.’
The pair began dating around 2016 and went public with their relationship in 2019. Together, both McCabe and Littlejohn have fronted campaigns designed to help young people struggling with their sexuality.
