McLaren, who took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson after England's World Cup quarter-final exit, has decided that the WAGs' power shopping and late night partying make them too much of a distraction.

He is convinced that their high-profile stay at the team camp in Baden-Baden didn't help the team's performance in the World Cup where they went out on penalties to Portugal.

The WAGs included David Beckham's wife Victoria, Wayne Rooney's girlfriend Colleen McLoughlin, Joe Cole's girlfriend Carly Zucker, Elen Rives, Frank Lampard's fiancee, and pop singer Cheryl Tweedy, Ashley Cole's partner.

One source close to the Football Association told the Sunday Telegraph: "The WAGs provided a lot of entertainment with their designer clothes, fake tans, hair extensions and heavy drinking in the bars.

"But Steve seems to think that it was all a bit over the top and could affect the way the team performs."

But, while Victoria, Colleen and the rest of the WAGs may have left Germany and its designer shops, at least three British WAGs have made it to the World Cup final itself.

When Italy play France later Sunday in the final in Berlin, Claire Henry, better known as the model Nicole Merry, the English wife of Thierry Henry, will be on hand to cheer her man.

Teammate Patrick Vieira's wife, Cheryl, is also English.

And there is also a remaining Scottish WAG.

Monica Romano, born in Glasgow, is married to Rino Gattuso, the tough-tackling Italian midfielder she met when he played for Rangers.

Monica's friends said she was not a typical footballer's wife.

"She is a lovely, warm woman," one friend said.

"She has beautiful homes but there's nothing flash about her and she's not obsessed with shopping or the latest fashions. She's not a heavy drinker either. You'd never catch her dancing on the tables in a German nightclub." Monica describes herself as "a simple girl from Glasgow".