Van Bommel declares himself unavailable for Dutch national team

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday October 2, 2006

Amsterdam- Experienced midfielder Mark van Bommel has declared himself unavailable for selection to the Dutch national team under the current coach, Marco van Basten. The decision by the 29-year-old who is currently with Bayern Munich and who has played 40 times for his country was made public late Sunday.

The Dutch football association also made known that Van Basten had made contact with another former stalwart of the Dutch team, Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

It said a lack of mutual confidence meant that the 30-year-old would not be returning to replace the preferred striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar, 23, who injured his ankle in training on Friday.

"We are aware of the decision by Van Bommel and have to respect it. We will not be calling up replacements for him and Huntelaar," Van Basten said in a brief reaction, indicating he would make do with a 20-man squad.

Dissension has been rife in the Dutch camp since the World Cup, with Van Nistelrooy uttering criticism of fellow team members during the competition and being dropped for the game against Portugal that took the Netherlands out of the competition.

Last week Van Nistelrooy queried Van Basten's integrity in a widely-publicized interview with the Dutch magazine Sportweek.

Van Basten had included Van Bommel in his squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Bulgaria on October 7 and Albania on October 11, even though the midfielder has not played for the Netherlands since the World Cup.

The two men have clashed repeatedly over the past two years.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency