The Telegraph reported on Monday (Korean time) that Ben White rejected the English national team after Steve Holland pointed out his interest in soccer. At the heart of the issue was respect for players.
White recently received a lot of attention due to his refusal to recruit the England national team. The British public broadcaster BBC reported on the 14th that "White cannot play for the England national team," and in fact, White's name could not be found on the list announced by coach Gareth Southgate on the 15th.
The exclusion of White from the English national team was a surprise. Having joined the English national team for the first time in 2021, White is considered one of the best defenders in the English Premier League (EPL) as he has shown remarkable performances from the 2021-2022 season to this season.
The decision was made entirely out of White's will. British media reported that Arsenal manager Eduardo Gaspar personally told the English Football Association that White would not be drafted. "White recently told us through Arsenal officials that he is refusing to draft for the national team. I wanted to draft him, but he has refused since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar," Southgate told reporters at a national team selection meeting.
Rumors have it that there is a disagreement between the two players. However, Southgate dismissed the rumor that there is a disagreement between them, saying, "We don't know the reason for the rejection, but speculation that there is a disagreement between us is not true." At the time, British media raised the possibility of a disagreement with English national team head coach Steve Holland when White dropped out of the team after the second group match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Controversy continued over White's choice. British media, including the BBC, criticized White's refusal to hire him, saying, "White missed the opportunity to represent his country. It is embarrassing to judge whether he will be selected based on his suitability." Some English fans also responded that they could not understand White's attitude.
However, some media outlets, including Arsenal fans, said, "We are excessively criticizing White. However, they don't understand what is extremely relative," refuting that criticism is pouring in at a time when we don't know what the reason is behind it.
With Southgate dismissing rumors of discord, the surprising reason for White's rejection of the national team is revealed, and opinions in his defense are expected to increase.
The Telegraph reported, "The beginning of the refusal to recruit a national team member was Holland's sharp remarks during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. According to the news, Holland first asked Kyle Walker about Manchester City's performance and tactics during the 2021-2022 season. Afterwards, Holland asked White a question about Arsenal, which he failed to answer. Holland pointed out that White was unable to answer due to his lack of interest in football. After the incident, White asked him to leave the national team,' explaining that the moment Holland coach pointed out to White about his lack of football knowledge was the beginning.
In particular, the point seems to have been made at an official training site and a place where all of his fellow players are together, not just during individual meetings between Holland and White. Public rebukes of soccer knowledge in front of his national team colleagues may have hurt White's pride. The Telegraph also pointed out that Holland's actions lacked respect for White, saying, "The lack of respect for the player seems to be the core of the problem."
Considering White's skills, there seems to be no big problem for him to join the England national team in the next few years. However, since he dropped out of the national team after a feud with coach Holland and expressed his intention to refuse to move out, chances are high that he will refuse to join the national team until a major change occurs in the English national team's division along with his absence from Euro 2024 in June.
Public opinion is expected to turn around as the case behind White's choice, which had been criticized a lot for refusing to recruit the England national team, is revealed.
White, who shows the best performance in the EPL, did not want to play in an environment where no player is respected. In order for an environment where the best players can play well, consideration and efforts of the coaches are inevitably important.
BY: 토토