Arsenal star told he should be banned for life from playing for England by Spurs legend

Chris Waddle doesn’t want Ben White to play for England again (Picture: Getty)

Ben White’s plea to be forgiven for snubbing England has fallen on the deaf ears of Chris Waddle who believes the Arsenal star should never play for the Three Lions again.

The former Brighton defender believes England fans would not boo him if they knew the full story of his exit from England’s 2022 World Cup squad.

But the 29-year-old insists he will not ‘throw anyone under the bus’ by talking about it.

White walked out of the camp in Qatar due to ‘personal reasons’, reported to be an alleged fallout with assistant manager Steve Holland, and subsequently made himself unavailable for the rest of Sir Gareth Southgate’s time in charge.

He returned to Thomas Tuchel’s squad in March, but was jeered by England supporters before being ruled out of this summer’s World Cup through injury.

The 29-year-old says he stands by his decision of four years ago, but is looking forward to his ‘story continuing’.

‘It’s something that I’ve not spoken about, and I won’t go into detail about it,’ White told talkSPORT. ‘Yes, it’s a decision that I don’t want to be talking about anyone negatively or throwing anyone under the bus.

Ben White is back in the England squad (Picture: Getty)

‘It was obviously not an ideal situation, and (a decision) that I probably still would make.

‘There’s loads of things that happened and communication wasn’t great. It’s something that I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus. I think there’s a lot of people who tried to do that to me. So it’s something that I wouldn’t want to do to someone else.’

He added on BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I don’t think I would (change decision).

‘Obviously, I was a bit younger. I’m a bit older now. I think, as a person, I’m quite real, and I think I made the decision that I would probably continue to make.

Ben White was booed by some England fans after making his first Three Lions appearance in four years (Getty)

‘It’s one that I’m not happy about, but obviously it happened, it’s time to move on.

‘It’s such a privilege to ever get close to playing for your country, something I probably didn’t even dream of because I didn’t think it would be anywhere near my reality.

‘There’s been a few bumps, I’m obviously here now, and looking forward to this story continuing.’

The basis of White’s alleged falling out with Holland is thought to be over an interview where the Arsenal defender admitted to not watching football on television.

He said: ‘To be fair, I don’t. I don’t know if I actually said I don’t like it because people say I don’t like football, which is obviously not true.

‘It’s because I don’t watch it, which I think is quite normal for someone who does a job and then doesn’t go home and then continue watching that job.

‘But I think it’s my way of release from the game because it’s so intense, obviously.’

White’s return to the fold under Tuchel was eventful as he was booed in a friendly against Uruguay, where he scored and then gave away a penalty.

‘I think before the game, I was thinking, just don’t…not stand out, but just nice and easy, you know,’ he added.

Thomas Tuchel believes Ben White’s previous decision to withdraw from England’s squad should be a ‘closed book’ (Shutterstock)

‘Then I came on and obviously get booed. Then I score. Then I give away a pen. So it was obviously full of emotions that night, and it was a good night.

‘Everyone can do whatever they want. You know, it’s fine with me. Whatever they want to do, and I think just think about maybe not knowing the full story. And if they did, maybe they wouldn’t.’

White’s candid explanation for his actions and desire to rebuild his reputation holds no water with Waddle who was capped 62 times by England.

‘Listen, Ben White shouldn’t be in the England squad, that’s my opinion,’ the former Tottenham winger told iGaming.com.

‘He refused to represent his country. I’m surprised Thomas brought him back in, and I don’t get why he has.

‘There might be a shortage of full-backs, but when somebody turns down playing for their country, like Ben White did, to me that’s a lifetime ban. I’d say, ‘Forget it mate, on my watch you’re not getting back in’.