Arsene Wenger has hit back at Fabio Capello's claims that wealthy clubs are "stealing" players from poorer backgrounds.

The England manager has urged UEFA to investigate how clubs acquire certain players, as he believes that the issue raises concerns over eligibility for national teams.

"I don't really understand that because there are international rules for passports and immigration," The Mirror quotes Wenger as saying. "Either they are respected or they are not respected. I don't understand. If a guy has a passport, the rules are quite clear today that he has to fulfil some conditions.

"There are rules for everything today and as long as they are respected you cannot reproach a country if they use players that are not German or English for generations. You have as well players in England that are not necessarily English for generations."

Capello singled out the fact that a number of Turkish players compete for the German national side.