Jeff Stelling has hit out at Arsenal defender Ben White for a social media post that showed him playing Uno whilst on holiday in Dubai during the current international break.
White made the controversial decision not to make himself available for England for the games against Brazil and Belgium, with Gareth Southgate recently announcing that Arsenal chief Edu had contacted him to confirm this decision.
This follows White leaving the England camp during the 2022 World Cup, with the 26-year-old clearly having something of a strained relationship with key figures involved in the national team.
Stelling, speaking on talkSPORT, clearly didn’t take too well to White then seeming to make a point of how much he was enjoying his time off, with a post shared by his wife on Instagram.
The former Sky Sports presenter insisted he had no issue with White deciding not to play for England, as that’s his decision to make, but he did question the timing of this post coming out while Southgate’s side lost 1-0 at home to Brazil.
“Arsenal defender Ben White has jetted off to Dubai. He decided he didn’t want to play for England in the games against Brazil and Belgium,” Stelling said on talkSPORT, as quoted by Football365.
“He has been enjoying his time there by the looks of it, whilst his England teammates suffered a 1-0 defeat to Brazil, Ben was enjoying a game of UNO and soaking up the sun on a beach in Dubai.
“I have a bit of sympathy for people who play cards, but not Ben. What are you doing?
“What are you doing posting the fact that you are in Dubai playing cards? You decided not to play for England, that’s fine. Your prerogative, just let the boys get on with it.”
White defended over England decision
Writing for CaughtOffside last week, Charles Watts insisted there were no issues at Arsenal with White’s England decision, as the Gunners writer defended the player for this slightly controversial move.
“If he doesn’t want to play for England, then he doesn’t have to,” Watts said in his column.
“The fact is White doesn’t feel comfortable around the national team set-up at present. I don’t know the ins and outs of what happened during the World Cup, but there was clearly a bit of a disagreement with Steve Holland and for White, that was the tipping point and he decided it was time to go home. And if that’s what makes him happy then he has every right to do that.
“Mental health is so important nowadays. We can’t all praise players for speaking out about their mental health on one hand and then suddenly criticise others for making a decision that they feel is in their best interests.
“Ben White is as focused about football as any other elite player. You talk to anyone at Arsenal and they will say the same thing.”
He added: “White has been carrying an injury throughout the season, but he consistently plays through the pain barrier. He is absolutely committed to everything he does.
“So instead of people pointing the finger at White following his decision to opt out of playing for England, they should probably be asking why a player at the peak of his powers does not feel comfortable working with the current England coaching set-up.”