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'Heresy' Wenger contines tirade against French friendly
LONDON (Reuters) -- Arsene Wenger has fired another broadside in the interminable row about France's friendly in Australia next month by describing the trip as heresy. With FIFA meeting Wednesday to check its regulations over the number of friendlies per year players must be released for, Wenger has continued to wage war on his home country ahead of the November 11 fixture in Melbourne. "I am going to take this right to the limits until FIFA make good sense prevail," Wenger said after his team's 3-1 Champions League defeat at Schalke 04 on Tuesday. "This trip to Australia is sheer heresy and nothing I have heard attempting to justify it has struck me as valid. "France has to understand that the clubs are sick and tired of all this." The match is on a designated international weekend when there are no premier league matches but Wenger, who has four players in the French squad, has organized a petition signed by several leading clubs asking for the game to be moved to limit the effect of the travelling involved. Ignored Last week FIFA issued a recommendation that France pick only one player per club but coach Roger Lemerre ignored it. FIFA subsequently accepted that he had every right to do so under their rules, though adding that it would issue a clarification after a meeting Wednesday. Lemerre said it had never crossed his mind not to select a full-strength squad. "The petition was made to make more money for the clubs," he said. "It is unacceptable for the French team to be taken hostage." Australia coach Frank Farina paid tribute to Lemerre for his firm stance. "It didn't surprise me," he said Wednesday. "He's a man who does what he wants to do and I suppose that's why he's the manager of the world and European champions." The Australian also felt he had scored a rare victory over the European powerhouses of the game, represented in this case by Wenger. "He is looking after his club and I can't blame the man for doing that," he said. "Sometimes he will win and sometimes he will lose. I won, it's great, I don't get to win many." Farina sees the rare opportunity to gather his best squad together to play high quality opposition as essential preparation for next month's World Cup playoff against the fifth-placed South American team. Leeds United manager David O'Leary will lose Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell to Australia but, unlike Wenger, has said they will travel with the club's blessing and best wishes. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has also appeared to have softened his stance on losing players for internationals, though he has said France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez is unlikely to fly to Australia because of an ear infection.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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