Arsenal star Ben White has left the England national team and returned home, due to unspecified and undisclosed “personal reasons.” The center back is not expected to return to Qatar, and thus his 2022 FIFA World Cup tour of duty is now over, and he did not feature in any of England’s first three games. Here is the very brief statement, from the English Football Association, sent out just minutes ago:
“Ben White has left Englandโs training base in Al Wakrah and returned home for personal reasons. The Arsenal defender is not expected to return to the squad for the remainder of the tournament. We ask that the playerโs privacy is respected at this moment in time.”
Nothing more specific is being reported right now on the situation of Ben White.
The 25-year-old former Brighton & Hove Albion man has started 14 league games for the Premier League leading Gunners this season, where he has recorded two assists.
England advanced to the knockout stages, where they’ll take on Senegal this Sunday. Three Lions won Group B, with a 6-2 win over Iran, a goalless draw with the United States and a 3-0 victory over Wales yesterday. In the group stages, they accomplished an impressive 9-2 aggregate goal differential.
Paul M. Banks is the Owner/Manager of The Sports Bankย andย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ as well asย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He has regularly contributed to WGN News, Sports Illustratedย and theย Chicago Tribune,ย and heย co-hosts theย After Extra Time podcast. Follow him and the websiteย onย Twitterย andย Instagram.
