BY Victor Akhidenor
France winger Franck Ribery’s decision to retire from international football could lead to a suspension from club football, UEFA president Michel Platini has said.
The Bayern Munich player, who missed the 2014 World Cup in Brazil despite intensive treatment for a lower back injury, announced last month he would not play for France any longer to focus on club football with the German champions.
But Platini, his fellow Frenchman, now claims the 31-year-old will have no choice but to continue playing for his country if selected.
“It is not the decision of the players, whether they come to the national team,” Platini told Bild.
“This is the decision of the coach. If there is disagreement between Lahm and (Joachim) Low, the Germany coach will no longer call on him, that’s one thing. But basically, it is not Lahm’s decision; its Low’s.
“(With Ribery) it’s a very different situation. Franck Ribery cannot simply decide whether he plays for France or not. If coach Didier Deschamps invites him, he must come to the national team.
“This is defined in the Fifa statutes. If he does not come, he is suspended for three games with Bayern Munich. I don’t understand him, anyway. He is French, the European Championship in 2016 will take place in France!”
Indeed, there is a FIFA rule in place which forces players to accept national team call-ups to prevent them – or rather their clubs – from picking and choosing which internationals they play.
But national teams usually respect a player’s decision to retire from international duty.
Ribery, a 2006 World Cup finalist who was Europe’s player of the year in 2013, won 81 caps and scored 16 goals after making his debut for France in 2006.
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