Former England international Chris Waddle has called for Arsenal defender Ben White to be banned from England duty for up to two years.
Waddle, who earned 62 caps for his country, believes White should face consequences for making himself unavailable for selection under previous manager Gareth Southgate.
The 27-year-old Arsenal star has not featured for the Three Lions since leaving the squad during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Speaking to 10bet, Waddle did not mince his words about White’s situation.
Ben White has been told he should be banned from England duty for two years
PA
“He spat the dummy out, didn’t he? So now he’s alright to play. So, he wants to pick and choose his England career?” Waddle said.
The former Tottenham and Newcastle star was adamant that players shouldn’t refuse international call-ups.”For the time he didn’t play, he didn’t want to play, I would say, well, we’ll give you the same ban,” he added.
White’s absence from the England setup stems from his departure from the national team’s camp during the 2022 World Cup after a reported falling out with former assistant coach Steve Holland.
In March last year, Southgate revealed that White had informed him he didn’t want to be considered for selection.
Despite rumours of personal issues between White and Southgate, the former England manager denied such suggestions.
White has not represented his country in three years.
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Ben White has not played for England in three years
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“Now it is a question of getting more minutes and he has every chance and he wants to be back,” Tuchel added.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended White’s decision, describing it as “brave”.
“What Ben did was very brave and not a lot of people would have done it. I was very involved in it,” Arteta said.
The Gunners boss insisted White’s choice wasn’t about letting his country down.
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“It was about facing the situation and saying, ‘I can’t handle it now and I am not the best person to represent the country the way I feel right now’.”
Waddle, who last played for England in 1991, remains passionate about representing the national team.
“I would never have said that. I would have played if I was 50,” he stated firmly.
