Manchester City's manager Roberto Mancini has defended Nigel de Jong after the midfielder was dropped from the Holland squad to face Moldova and Sweden this week.
De Jong had already arrived in the Netherlands when he was told that the Holland manager, Bert van Marwijk, had removed him from the squad. Van Marwijk said he took the decision after seeing De Jong's tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa on Sunday, which left the Newcastle United player with a broken leg.
"I saw no other possibility," said the Holland manager. "It was a wild and unnecessary offence. He went in much too hard… I have a problem with the way Nigel needlessly looks to push the limit."
But Mancini defended the player, saying: "It is a matter for the Dutch Federation. However, as his club manager I wish to say that, whilst he is naturally competitive, Nigel is first and foremost a great player as well as being honest and loyal and I support him wholeheartedly.
"I also want to take this opportunity to wish Ben Arfa, who I rate very highly, a speedy recovery and I hope to see him back in action soon."
Holland's captain Mark van Bommel, also Van Marwijk's son in law, has also backed De Jong. "Nigel is and remains one of us," he told AD Sportwereld. "We find this all very frustrating. It's very unfortunate that he has broken the leg of an opponent twice in six months [Stuart Holden of the USA being the other, during last summer's World Cup].
"But I know Nigel as a sweet guy. He doesn't want to injure anyone but wants to win every match. That is his strength. Thanks to Nigel we reached the final of the World Cup. And now I hear people calling him a criminal. What a nonsense."