White rejected England after ‘you don’t like football’ jibe

Defender upset exchange with Holland was in front of squad Request to leave Qatar came as shock to coach Southgate

The rift that led to Ben White’s selfimposed England exile began with a barbed comment from Gareth Southgate’s assistant, Steve Holland, in front of team-mates at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

Telegraph Sport understands the fall-out that eventually led to White asking to come home from England’s Doha base started with a conversation between the player and Holland in front of other members of the squad.

It was described by sources as having begun when Holland asked defender Kyle Walker a question relating to Manchester City’s performance in the previous season.

When he asked the same of White relating to Arsenal, the 26-year-old said that he did not know the answer. It is claimed Holland responded by saying that was because White was not sufficiently interested in football. It was that moment that ultimately led to the player asking to come home.

The exchange was understood to have been days before the player asked to leave the camp. Until that request was delivered, Southgate and his staff thought there was no longer an issue between White and Holland. There was no row or clash – public or private. After the initial comment from Holland, the pair did exchange views in a private conversation on the same day.

The Football Association announced on Nov 30 that White had left the hotel in Al Wakrah for “personal reasons” and asked that his privacy be respected. Details of the exchange between Holland and White that led to the divide suggest that the player’s issue had been its public nature, occurring as it did in front of a group of his peers.

At the heart of the problem appears to be a question of the respect accorded to the player. White was not in the first-choice XI at the tournament, although that is not understood to have been

the key reason for the unhappiness on his part.

Southgate announced last week that the Arsenal defender had made himself unavailable for selection for England – adding that he did not know why that was the case.

The coach said: “Also, I should say there’s never any issue with Steve Holland [and White], because that has sort of been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.”

Southgate added that there was a “reticence” on the part of the player to resume international duty when he spoke to him in the months after

Qatar. The decision about the latest squad, with games against Brazil and Belgium over the next six days, was conveyed by Arsenal sporting director Edu to his FA counterpart John Mcdermott.

The Football Association has declined to comment. Arsenal have declined to comment. So, too, have White’s representatives.

Southgate said last week: “People can talk about me, and I have to accept that things get said that are false about me. For whatever reason in this role, you have to almost stomach that. But I’m not prepared for that to happen for a key member of my coaching team because that is not the reason Ben is unavailable for selection.”

Southgate has said that the door remains open to White should he change his mind.

White said in a recent interview that the perception he did not love the game was untrue. He enjoyed matches and training but had less interest outside of that.

“I know people say I don’t like football,” he said. “I go home and football is not on my mind. I can just be a normal person; relax. [But] when I am in here [Arsenal], it is intense.”