Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gareth Bale could face a FIFA ban after pulling out of Team GB's Olympic squad through injury.
Bale, who was initially called up to Stuart Pearce's squad before withdrawing, played for Spurs last night, scoring in a 1-1 draw against LA Galaxy.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter commented on Bale's appearance, saying that he could be banned from playing for Spurs, including in friendlies, while the Olympics are on if the FA lodged a complaint.
"The principle is that if a club does not release a player then this association can come to FIFA and we will then ban this player during the duration of the Olympics," said Blatter.
"So far nobody came to FIFA to say we should, but it is a possibility we could ban these players if they are not at the disposal of the national team. [The association] complain and then we say let this player go or he cannot play for the club.
"FIFA's position has never been so clear than it is now for the Olympics 2012 and 2016."
Any ban that would be enforced would prevent Bale playing until August 12, meaning that he would miss the remainder of Tottenham's pre-season campaign, but no competitive fixtures.
Barney Corkhill
