Ben White’s withdrawal from the England national team was precipitated by a remark from Gareth Southgate’s deputy, Steve Holland, during the World Cup in Qatar, witnessed by White’s teammates.
Recently, Southgate disclosed that White, the Arsenal centre-back, has expressed his desire to be excluded from future national team considerations.
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Edu, the sporting director of Arsenal, communicated the 26-year-old’s stance to the English football authorities, with Southgate admitting his lack of insight into White’s motivations.
In the previous November, amidst the World Cup’s group phase, White departed from the England setup in Doha, citing ‘personal reasons’ as described by the FA. Since that incident, he has not rejoined the Three Lions ensemble.
The Daily Telegraph suggests that the discord originated from a pointed remark by Holland aimed at White in a team setting.
The incident unfolded when Holland posed a question to Kyle Walker, White’s fellow right-back, about Manchester City’s prior season’s performance.
Subsequently, Holland directed the same inquiry to White regarding Arsenal’s recent campaign, to which White confessed his ignorance.
Holland reportedly insinuated that White’s lack of interest in football was to blame for his unawareness.
Shortly thereafter, White requested an exit from the England camp. Contrary to speculation, no conflict ensued between White and Holland, neither privately nor publicly among peers.
The crux of White’s discontent, as reported, was the overt nature of Holland’s comments, which he perceived as a breach of respect.
In a press briefing last week, Southgate emphasized that there is no animosity between Holland and White.
‘He’s clearly playing very well and has been for a long time,’ Southgate said of White.
‘But he’s not the first player who, at certain times, hasn’t wanted to be available for selection. I’ve always tried to protect those players because I always want the door to be left open, even though on lots of those occasions I’m the one who gets it in the neck for not picking them and people don’t know the reasons.
‘There’s no issue between us and there was never any issue with Steve Holland. That has been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.
‘People can talk about me and I have to accept that things get said that are false, about me. For whatever reason in this role, you have to stomach that.
‘But I’m not prepared for that to happen to a key member of my coaching team. That is not the reason Ben is not available for selection.’
