Ex-England star Chris Waddle wants Arsenal man banned from Three Lions squad for 2 years after rejecting previous call-ups

Former England forward Chris Waddle believes Arsenal defender Ben White should be banned from national team selection for two years. White pulled out of the Three Lions' squad during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

White has not played for his country since March 2022. He was named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the World Cup but left the camp after a reported clash with assistant coach Steve Holland. For the remainder of Southgate's term as England boss, Ben White turned down England call-ups.

Now that Thomas Tuchel is in charge of the national team, White has said he would be open to returning. However, Waddle believes he shouldn't be able to "pick and choose" when he plays for England. The former Newcastle United forward told 10bet (via Metro):

“I wouldn’t bring Ben White back in. He said he didn’t want to be picked again and he spat the dummy out, didn’t he? So now he’s alright to play. So, he wants to pick and choose his England career? Listen, you would never say you never want to play for England. I would never have said that. I would have played if I was 50."

"So, modern-day players who say that, I’m not being picked, so don’t pick me again, all of a sudden become available. For the time he didn’t play, he didn’t want to play, I would say, ‘Well, we’ll give you the same ban’."

Waddle continued:

"So if it was a year or two years, then I’d consider you in two years’ time. For me, you should never say no. Now, OK, if you don’t get on with the manager and you don’t like the style of play, you wouldn’t be picked anyway. But when you get a late call-up, you don’t say no."

The Arsenal defender has made four appearances for England, having been called up for the first time in 2021.

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Thomas Tuchel explains Arsenal full-back Ben White’s England omission amid fitness concerns

England manager Thomas Tuchel has defended his decision to omit Ben White from his first squad, pointing to the defender's lack of match fitness following knee surgery. White has been injured since November 2024 and rejoined training with Arsenal in February.

Tuchel stated that White will require better fitness levels before returning to the fold. He said (via Metro):

“He loves to be back in the squad but it is too early now for him given the seriousness of the injury. I am delighted that he is back in back-to-back trainings. We are monitoring the process. Now it is a question of getting more minutes and he has every chance and he wants to be back.”

With White missing, there is a chance for some new faces in the squad with Newcastle’s Dan Burn and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly getting their first senior call-ups. England’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign will see them face Albania on Friday (March 21) and Latvia on Monday (March 24).