{"id":545,"date":"2026-04-03T22:15:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T22:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=545"},"modified":"2026-04-03T22:15:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T22:15:25","slug":"mikel-artetas-blunt-verdict-after-arsenal-star-ben-white-suffers-england-boos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=545","title":{"rendered":"Mikel Arteta&#8217;s blunt verdict after Arsenal star Ben White suffers England boos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_68255d\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Ben White was called up by Thomas Tuchel for recent friendlies for England against Uruguay and Japan, but he was booed by fans at Wembley in a frosty reception<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36966540\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ben White chases the ball during an England game\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36966540.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_England-v-Japan-International-Friendly.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36966540.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/1_England-v-Japan-International-Friendly.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36966540.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/1_England-v-Japan-International-Friendly.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36966540.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_England-v-Japan-International-Friendly.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Ben White was booed during England's game against Uruguay\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Ben White was booed during England&#8217;s game against Uruguay<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Mikel Arteta insists that while he didn&#8217;t hear <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.football.london\/arsenal-fc\/news\/arsenal-arteta-ben-white-england-33712741\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">England supporters jeering Ben White<\/a> recently, the defender came back to Arsenal in positive spirits. The full-back was selected by Thomas Tuchel as part of a 35-man Three Lions squad to face Uruguay and Japan in a couple of friendlies at the end of March.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It signalled the conclusion of an almost four-year international absence for White, who stepped away from playing for his country during the 2022 World Cup following a reported disagreement with Steve Holland &#8211; an assistant to Gareth Southgate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">However, the 28-year-old&#8217;s reunion with his country didn&#8217;t quite unfold as hoped. Despite netting against Uruguay, England were ultimately held to a 1-1 stalemate by the South American side at Wembley, while Tuchel&#8217;s men were also humiliatingly dealt a 1-0 defeat by Japan in their final fixture before this summer&#8217;s World Cup.<\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_de167e\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Liverpool and Arsenal primed for blockbuster transfer as Aston Villa exit stance made clear<\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_de167e\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Thierry Henry makes Arsenal and Rodri comparison as Mikel Arteta sent clear message<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">White was also jeered by sections of the England faithful in the capital when he came onto the pitch against Uruguay and his name was announced over the stadium&#8217;s PA system &#8211; seemingly in reaction to his prolonged absence from the squad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Southgate also revealed in 2024 that White had requested not to be considered as part of his European Championships squad, despite the manager noting that he would have otherwise been selected on merit due to his performances with Arsenal. Upon his return to Arsenal following the latest round of matches, White appeared completely unfazed by the hostile reception he received at Wembley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">When quizzed about the jeering during his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday&#8217;s FA Cup clash with Southampton, Arteta said: &#8220;The volume was down, so I could not hear that.<\/p>\n<figure data-testid=\"embed-placeholder\" class=\"EmbedPlaceholder_figure__NLMFl undefined false\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"90\" height=\"90\" viewbox=\"0 0 90 90\" fill=\"none\" data-testid=\"consent-placeholder-icon\"><g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_10846_5865)\"><circle opacity=\"0.16\" cx=\"45\" cy=\"45\" r=\"33.75\" fill=\"var(--color-sem-icon-neutral-default)\"\/><path d=\"M21.1351 21.1351C15.0276 27.2427 11.25 35.6802 11.25 45C11.25 63.6396 26.3604 78.75 45 78.75C54.3198 78.75 62.7573 74.9724 68.8649 68.8649M21.1351 21.1351C27.2427 15.0276 35.6802 11.25 45 11.25C63.6396 11.25 78.75 26.3604 78.75 45C78.75 54.3198 74.9724 62.7573 68.8649 68.8649M21.1351 21.1351L68.8649 68.8649\" stroke=\"var(--color-sem-icon-neutral-default)\" stroke-width=\"7.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/><\/g><defs><clippath id=\"clip0_10846_5865\"><rect width=\"90\" height=\"90\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><figcaption>Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;I could just see a big smile on his face and the way he came back from the national team and the good things that he was telling everybody about, the group, about the meetings that they had, about Thomas and everybody.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;So that&#8217;s great to hear because when you send a player to a national team, you really want to bring back a better player, a player that is happy, a player that is available and fit. And that was certainly Ben&#8217;s case.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It comes as White looks set to play a significant role in Arsenal&#8217;s FA Cup quarter-final showdown at St Mary&#8217;s this weekend, with the two sides meeting at 8pm. Arteta confirmed that Piero Hincapie will be sidelined due to a knock sustained during Ecuador&#8217;s recent friendly against Morocco, while Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze also remain on the treatment table with their own injuries.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36966541\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36966541\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mikel Arteta looks on\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36966541.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/2_Arsenal-FC-Training-Session-And-Press-Conference-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36966541.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/2_Arsenal-FC-Training-Session-And-Press-Conference-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36966541.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/2_Arsenal-FC-Training-Session-And-Press-Conference-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36966541.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/2_Arsenal-FC-Training-Session-And-Press-Conference-UEFA-Champions-League-202526-Round-of-16-Second.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Mikel Arteta has spoken about Ben White's situation on his return to the England setup\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Mikel Arteta has spoken about Ben White&#8217;s situation on his return to the England setup<cite aria-label=\"Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">On a brighter note, however, the Spanish boss revealed that both Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard are back in the frame for the trip down to the south coast. Discussing the international break, which created difficulties with new injuries, Arteta said: &#8220;I think when a player is fit and able to play, he has to play, and I think it makes us so proud that we have that many players in the national team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The players are desperate to play with the national team, and we know how important every time that they are together and the time that they spend in preparation means to them. We are fully supportive of that, and when we can do it, we do it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><em><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/Feq1SEG6mXDIZGTTnek7oz\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Join our new WhatsApp community<\/a> and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don&#8217;t like our community, you can check out any time you like. 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