Van Bommel snubs Holland

Bayern Munich's Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel said on Monday that he won't join the national side despite an official call up from manager Marco van Basten.<br>

كتب : Ahmad Saied

الإثنين، 02 أكتوبر 2006 - 21:41

Bayern Munich's Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel said on Monday that he won't join the national side despite an official call up from manager Marco van Basten.

"Van Bommel announced he no longer wants to play for the Dutch national team, not as long as Van Basten and Van 't Schip are the managers," the player's official website reported.

Van Bommel, who moved to Bayern from Spanish and European champions Barcelona in the summer, wasn't called up after the World Cup but Van Basten hoped he can play against Bulgaria and Albania in Euro 2008 qualifiers.

This is the second disappointment for Van Basten after Ruud van Nistelrooy also refused the invitation to the same games.

Reports said that Van Basten called the Real Madrid striker in person but Van Nistelrooy, who fell out with the manager during the World Cup, held on to his earlier decision.

Several Holland veterans like Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids have expressed their frustration over Van Basten's strategies with the Dutch team.