This year has seen a whole crop of players announce their retirements from international football, with the primary reason, of course, to focus on their club careers.
Many of these choices have been respected and tributes have poured in to honor some of the sport's biggest stars. However, one recent retiree's decision isn't being taken so well by one of his own countrymen.
After suffering an injury that kept him out of this year's World Cup, Bayern star Franck Ribery opted to call time on his playing career with Les Bleus. And somehow, oddly, this has incurred the wrath of UEFA boss Michel Platini, who slammed his compatriot in a recent interview.
"It's not up to the players whether they feature or not in the national team. This is the coach's decision," he sniped to German publication Bild.
"[So], Franck Ribery can not simply decide whether he plays for France or not. If the coach Didier Deschamps invites him, he must report for national team duty."
Even more shocking, he then went on to add:
"This is defined in the Fifa statutes. If he does not come, he is suspended for three games with Bayern Munich."
So, threatening a player with a ban from club duty if he doesn't turn up for his international responsibilities? Even after retiring? Ribery has yet to respond to Platini's comments, but certainly that seems a bit extreme...
