Steve Clarke has had his say on the Celtic decision to take the three fit Scotland international players to Australia to play in the Syndey Cup next week rather than allow them to travel with the Scotland party heading to Turkey for a friendly match.
Ange Postecoglou has made the decision that, other than players heading to join up with their countries for the World Cup, the rest of the Celtic squad will be heading to Australia to play the two matches in the Sydney Super Cup. That means that Greg Taylor, Anthony Ralston and David Turnbull are NOT included in the Scotland squad for the friendly match against Turkey but will instead be heading Down Under with the Hoops, and that has clearly annoyed the Scotland manager.
“The base line is that it’s not an official international window. I don’t know why because there’s a World Cup going on and that sounds pretty official to me,” the Scotland manager complained today at his Media Conference.
“That’s what it is. Clubs don’t have to release their players and Celtic have chosen not to release theirs for this game. It was just a blanket decision. Celtic have said that none of their players are available for any international games.
“I have to say I’m disappointed by that decision but we have to take it on the chin, Clarke said, adding: “It’s a chance for someone else.”
🔊 LISTEN: “I have to say I’m disappointed in that decision”.
🏴 Scotland boss Steve Clarke says he’s “disappointed” Celtic have chosen not to release their players for next week’s friendly against Turkey. pic.twitter.com/9zxpLBTmhr
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) November 9, 2022
Clarke is not alone either in directing some ire towards Celtic. Over in Sweden, who like Scotland did not qualify for Qatar, their manager Janne Andersson has also complained about the decision taken by Celtic, together with a handful of other clubs, to refuse to release their players for friendlies in this period which is out with the international break other than for countries heading to Qatar, as per FIFA’s instructions.
And the Celtic player that Sweden are looking at playing is Carl Starfelt, who suffered a bad injury in June playing for his country that kept him out until August before he was injured again in the 4-0 win over theRangers at the start of September. Starfelt returned last midweek to play in Madrid on a needs-must basis in the Champions League as Cameron Carter-Vickers was injured at Livingston, but the Sweden international defender admitted afterwards that he will not be fully fit until after the World Cup in mid-December.
Why then would Celtic allow Starfelt to go away on international duty over a month before he is fully fit and ready to play?
Ange Postecoglou was clear on this matter yesterday. “From our perspective, the Australian trip is an important part of our football club and we want to take our strongest possible team there.
“We will always be supportive of the national team and Steve Clarke has always been great with us in terms of his relationship with the club. But all of our players who won’t be going to the World Cup will be coming with us.
“We’re obviously taking a team to Australia. People have bought tickets and want to see the best possible Celtic side. Obviously, we can’t take the players who are going to the World Cup, but we have obligations there to the people who have spent the money that we go there with the strongest possible team and that’s what we’ll be doing.”
Janne Andersson though is looking at this in. a similar way to Steve Clarke. “It’s very strange from FIFA,” he fumed, before revealing: “We have five players who are not allowed to leave their clubs for our friendlies. FIFA have decided that only countries that qualify for the World Cup have to release players,” the Sweden manager said, as reported by Daily Record.
“It is not punishment enough that we missed the World Cup? I cannot understand how they have thought this through because there is no logic in it at all. We are completely in the hands of the clubs.”
So far five clubs have refused to release players for the Sweden friendlies – Celtic for Starfelt, Spurs’ Dejan Kulusevski, Spezia’s Albin Ekdal, Legia Warsaw’s Mattias Johansson and Jens Cajuste of Reims.
HERE IT IS! 🥁
🇭🇷➡️🇶🇦#Croatia squad for the 2022 @FIFAWorldCup in Qatar!#WorldCup #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/P5T3876pP2
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) November 9, 2022
FIFA imposed this winter World Cup on the game. Clubs, including Celtic are doing what they can to negate the disruption and to support any players called up – today Celtic’s Josip Juranovic was as expected named in the Croatia World Cup squad. But outside that FIFA seem to have made the correct call by restricting additional international call-ups for friendly matches.
Celtic have our own priorities and that must come first, especially with regard to Carl Starfelt who explains his situation regarding trying to get fully fit in the article shown below.
READ THIS…“That was a really hard moment for me personally,” Carl Starfelt
The BBC turn the entire story around for their own benefit to get an additional dig in at Celtic…”No Celtic players selected!”
Andy Robertson ✅
Kieran Tierney ✅
Calvin Ramsay ✅But there are no Celtic players ❌#BBCFootball
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 9, 2022
Meanwhile The Celtic Rising is available now at the Celtic stores and also directly from The Celtic Star (link below) where you copy will be personally signed by Celtic Historian David Potter. An outstanding Christmas gift for your dad!
