Dutch boss punishes 'wild' De Jong

04 October 2010 12:17
Holland coach Bert van Marwijk has dropped Nigel de Jong from his squad for the reckless tackle which broke Hatem Ben Arfa's leg on Sunday.[LNB] De Jong went in hard on Newcastle's France winger during the Premier League clash at Eastlands, with tests later in the day revealing Ben Arfa had suffered a broken tibia and fibula to his left leg.[LNB]Van Marwijk had already expressed his concern at the tackle earlier in the day and a statement this lunchtime revealed the extent of his dismay.[LNB]The statement read: "I just informed the squad and told them I saw no other possibility.[LNB]"In the near future I will discuss this matter with Nigel but right now we have to focus on the upcoming two matches."[LNB]Van Marwijk said earlier in the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper: "I've seen the pictures back. It was a wild and unnecessary offence. He went in much too hard.[LNB]"It is unfortunate, especially since he does not need to do it.[LNB]"The funny thing is that the referee did not even show a yellow card for it. Apparently, there are other standards.[LNB]"But I have a problem with the way Nigel needlessly looks to push the limit. I am going to speak to him."[LNB]It is not the first time the 25-year-old has come under the microscope for his aggressive play, having caused Bolton's United States midfielder Stuart Holden a fractured right fibula on international duty in March and then got away with a chest-high challenge on Spain's Xabi Alonso in the World Cup final.[LNB]The World Cup runners-up, who picked up six points from their opening two Group E qualifiers against San Marino and Finland last month, take on Moldova in Chisinau on October 8 and Sweden four days later at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Source: Team_Talk