Wenger gives in to French demands

Steve Stammers13 April 2012

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger today relented in the club versus country row and decided to let his French internationals play in the November friendly in Australia.

Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord are all now likely to face the long trip to Australia after Wenger conceded he cannot prevent them from playing for the world champions in Melbourne on Sunday 11 November.

They will not miss any Arsenal games because there are no Premiership matches that weekend. It has been left clear in case England are involved in a World Cup qualification play-off match.

But Wenger led the protests about the friendly in Australia, which he fears will leave his players tired for the following weekend.

All four of Arsenal?s French players recently made a 28-hour round trip to Chile for another friendly and according to Wenger returned with jet-lag.

Arsenal vice- chairman David Dein subsequently wrote to 12 other clubs with French internationals in their squads and received support from Chelsea managing director Colin Hutchinson and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, FIFA backed the French and Wenger now accepts he must let his players go to Australia if they are selected. He knows there is no chance of them turning down the chance to play for their country in World Cup year.

Wenger said today: ?We don?t want to go to war with the French Football Federation, but we did want to address the problem.

?It is difficult to accept that France make two long trips in such a short space of time, but if my players are selected and if they are fit I will send them.

?The players are getting caught in the middle and I can understand that they feel awkward because they want to play for their country.

?I understand the desire to play because it is normal and if I do not send them it will just be punishing them.?

The problem for France is that they can only play friendlies because they have already qualified for the World Cup as holders. French Football Federation president Claude Simonet said FIFA president Sepp Blatter would back France in any club-versus-country conflict.

Simonet said: ?The rules governing the availability of players for national matches have to be respected.?

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