Wenger demands probe into player withdrawals
Reuters - Thursday 20 November 2008, 15:57
LONDON - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
wants FIFA and UEFA to investigate if players who missed this
week's international friendlies line up for their clubs this
weekend or in Champions League games next week.
"Theoretically, if you do not play in the national team, you
cannot play in the game after in the championship - that is the
rule," Wenger told reporters on Thursday.
"It would be very interesting for FIFA and UEFA to make a
study of any players who have not played in any national team,
and who will play on Saturday or on Tuesday and Wednesday in the
Champions League."
England were hit by the withdrawal of a host of key players,
including injured duo Frank Lampard and Steve Gerrard, before
their friendly with Germany in Berlin on Wednesday.
The timing of this week's plethora of friendlies has
continued the club versus country debate, with many managers
fearing that key players will pick up injuries at a hectic stage
of the season.
"The sad situation in that friendly game, mid-November,
before games five and six in the Champions League and before
important fixtures in the Leagues, is that many players have
pulled out because this friendly is very badly positioned,"
added Wenger.
"We never withdraw any player. Our players, unless they have
a big injury, we send them. We ask them to be cautious with
them, especially in friendly games, and this usually happens
with national teams, because they are not crazy.
"But this game was not well positioned because it doesn't
prepare them. There is no official game before March now and it
is just in front of very important games for the clubs."
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott will not return to action until
next year after dislocating his shoulder during training with
England on Tuesday.
Walcott was originally expected to miss three months, but
after undergoing surgery on Thursday morning, Arsenal Wenger
believes he could face an even longer spell on the sidelines.
"I do not blame the FA for that. It was an accident in
training and I accept that," he said.
"Theo will be out for three months, but it is not the first
game where he comes back. That is difficult to predict because
we have had experience of a player coming back from such an
injury. It takes some time to get used to that."
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