Football

Ghaddar says no to Lebanon, may be omitted from international duty

JOHOR BARU: Lebanon striker Mohammed Ghaddar, one of M-League’s most expensive players, may not be considered for international duty again.

Lebanon coach Miodrag Radulovic revealed that Ghaddar had declined to represent his team in Tuesday’s Asian Cup qualifying Group B match against Malaysia.

“It was his decision not to play for Lebanon.

“I do not care about this... I already have a replacement (for Ghaddar).

“If someone does not want to play for his country then for us he is finish,” said Radulovic on Monday.

Asked whether Ghaddar will be considered for future assignments, the Montenegrin coach said the matter is not important enough to be discussed at the moment.

“It is an internal matter within the team,” said Radulovic.

The 33-year-old Ghaddar is currently the hottest property in the M-League. He netted an amazing 18 goals in 12 appearances for Kelantan before he joined Darul Ta’zim recently.

Ghaddar scored a goal in Lebanon’s 2-0 win over Hong Kong on the opening day of the Asian Cup qualifiers on March 28.

Radulovic also questioned the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for postponing the match between North Korea and Malaysia.

The match was initially scheduled on March 28 in Pyongyang before it was moved to June 8 but the Asian body later postponed it again, citing the geo-political tension.

The match will not be played in Pyongyang or at a neutral venue on Oct 5.

“It is not normal for a match to be postponed twice in a competition.

“Malaysia should have played their first match against North Korea. Why should the match be played at a neutral venue now? This question is for AFC,” Radulovic added.

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