Nile Ranger has claimed he got into a fight with Andros Townsend while the pair were on England U19s duty, alleging Townsend spat in his pasta during a row over playing time.
Ranger, 35, made the claim on the podcast Undr the Cosh this week. The former Newcastle prodigy scored six goals in 11 appearances for England's U19s but never played for the Three Lions at senior level, while Townsend, formerly of Crystal Palace, went on to earn senior caps.
Ranger said the incident happened while he and Townsend were sharing a room in Ukraine. He said Townsend was not playing at the time but kept himself ready by stretching at night. "I've played but I didn't play the best. And I'm like to Andros, 'Look, just go to sleep man, just relax. You're stretching and doing all of this but your chance will come'. I'm actually genuinely telling him that, I'm being real," Ranger said.
He said Townsend snapped back at him. "He's like, 'You what? Did you see how you played today? You had a stinker, I don't want to play like that. I've got to make sure I'm stretched out and ready'," Ranger recalled.
Ranger said the tension escalated the next day over breakfast. "We go down for food the next day and, you remember those old-school blue Lucozade bottles with the yellow top, he's drinking from it and he's spitting in my pasta. I'm looking around at players and being like - are you witnessing this as well? This is crazy antics right now," he said.
Ranger claimed the pair then went upstairs and started brawling, with team-mates including Kyle Walker among those who tried to intervene. "I can see Andros there, I'm on to Andros, and I've just crashed him. His head hits the bin and man are trying to stop me, Kyle Walker trying to stop me, but the rage inside is just going mad, going berserk," Ranger said.
Ranger said the two were separated and that Townsend later apologised. "He's like, 'Look, let me stop you, I'm sorry. I think just being out here is getting to me and what not'. I know how it feels. It's like when you get an injury or something and you're not playing. Or you feel like you can play and aren't getting the chance. It was just anger built up, that sort of thing," Ranger said.
Career derailed by off-field trouble
Ranger was once regarded as one of Newcastle's brightest young prospects, but his off-field behaviour repeatedly overshadowed his career. As a teenager he spent time in a young offenders' institution following an armed robbery, and his early professional years were marked by disciplinary problems and run-ins with the law.
Newcastle chose not to renew his contract in 2013 after a string of off-pitch controversies. He moved to Swindon Town before spells at Blackpool and Southend United, then took a two-year break from football in 2018 following further run-ins with the law.
Return to non-league football
Since returning in 2020, Ranger has played for a series of non-league clubs, starting with Spalding United before brief spells at Southend, Boreham Wood, Kettering Town, Wellingborough Town and Chatham Town. He is a free agent again this summer after leaving Chatham Town at the end of last season, having scored six goals in 14 appearances for the club.
Ranger has also spoken previously about his struggles with gambling addiction. In a 2023 interview, he said that had he behaved better off the pitch and maintained a healthier lifestyle, he could have been as prolific as Manchester City's Erling Haaland.
