SM
Club Brugge vs. Aston Villa: 17 hrs 58 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Nigel Reo-Coker: 'International football losing appeal'

:Headline: Nigel Reo-Coker: 'International football losing appeal': ID:75052: from db_amp
Nigel Reo-Coker says that international football is no longer regarded to be more important than the Champions League.

Former Aston Villa and West Ham United midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker has insisted that footballers no longer hold representing their country in the highest regard.

The club versus country debate was reignited yesterday afternoon when Rio Ferdinand decided to withdraw from the England squad in order to maintain his fitness for Manchester United.

Discussing the situation, Reo-Coker, who currently plays in the MLS with the Vancouver Whitecaps, admitted that the Champions League is now more appealing than international football.

"I don't think the pride of representing their country is there for a lot of players now," the 28-year-old told talkSPORT. "There's a lot more glitz and glam about playing in the Champions League as well as the matches between the top four or five Premier League clubs."

The midfielder went on to add his belief that where the England national team is concerned, only players from the Premier League's biggest clubs are selected, no matter what form they are in.

"For a lot of the players, [receiving an England call-up] depends on what club you play for," he said. "It's there for everyone to see. A lot of players from the bigger clubs make the England squad, regardless if they're playing week-in week-out or not.

"A lot of players are given the opportunity and for a lot of them it's not something you can say they've have had to work really hard for."

Reo-Coker has never made an appearance for England at senior level, despite the fact that he made 26 outings for the youth team.

amp_article__75052 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2013-03-19 16:45:47:
html db last update - 2013-03-19 16:45:47 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Nigel Reo-Coker

Click here for more stories about Vancouver Whitecaps

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table

Eastern Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Inter MiamiInter Miami34228479493074
2Columbus Crew34199672403266
3FC CincinnatiCincinnati341851158481059
4Orlando City34157125950952
5Charlotte FCCharlotte FC34149114637951
6New York City FCNY City34148125449550
7New York Red BullsNY Red Bulls34111495550547
8CF MontrealMontreal341110134864-1643
9Atlanta UnitedAtlanta341010144649-340
10DC United341010145270-1840
11Philadelphia UnionPhiladelphia34910156255737
12Toronto34114194061-2137
13Nashville SCNashville3499163854-1636
14New England RevolutionNew England3494213774-3731
15Chicago Fire3479184062-2230

Western Conference

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Los Angeles FCLos Angeles34197863432064
2Los Angeles GalaxyLA Galaxy34197869501964
3Real Salt LakeSalt Lake341611765481759
4Seattle SoundersSeattle34169951351657
5Houston DynamoHouston34159104739854
6Minnesota UnitedMinnesota Utd34157125849952
7Colorado RapidsColorado34155146160150
8Portland TimbersPortland341211116556947
9Vancouver WhitecapsVancouver34138135249347
10Austin FCAustin34119143948-942
11Dallas34118155456-241
12St Louis City34813135063-1337
13Sporting Kansas CityKansas3487195166-1531
14San Jose EarthquakesEarthquakes3463254178-3721
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .