England’s Fiji World Cup warm-up overshadowed by Betfred controversy

England’s only warm-up game for the Rugby League World Cup continues to be overshadowed by controversy, after the bookmaker Betfred, an official partner of the England team, was forced to apologise for comments made by the broadcaster Eddie Hemmings about one of the players who could make their international debut against Fiji on Friday night.

In a video interview with the England coach, Shaun Wane, that was posted on social media before being deleted, Hemmings said the winger Dom Young, who also qualifies to play for Jamaica, was “not English in the strict sense of the word”. Young, who began his playing career with Huddersfield Giants before moving to the NRL in Australia, was born and raised in Wakefield. His brother Alex will represent the Reggae Warriors at the tournament.

“Dom Young, he could have played for Jamaica, as his brother is … so he’s not English in the strict sense of the word, either,” Hemmings said. He later referred to another new call-up, Herbie Farnworth, who was also born in England before moving to Australia as a teenager, saying: “I’ve just listened to him … he’s as English as you and I, there’s no problems with him.”

Betfred deleted the clip after it was published on Wednesday evening and issued an apology on Thursday to both Young and Wane. They said: “This morning Betfred have apologised in person to both Shaun Wane and Dom Young with regard to a recent interview ahead of the Rugby League World Cup, of which a clip was re-edited and posted on social media on Wednesday night.

“As a partner we would like to reaffirm our commitment to all staff and players in all of the England squads, and we are extremely proud to be involved in the most inclusive World Cup ever.”

The Rugby Football League is