Patrick Mtiliga, the 31-year-old left back for Denmark, is set to be excluded from the national team after refusing to play in the match against Italy, which Denmark lost 3-1. Mtiliga’s refusal reportedly stemmed from being initially placed on the substitutes’ bench and only starting the match after Simon Poulsen, the incumbent left back, sustained an injury during the pre-match warm-up.
Frustrated by not being in the starting lineup from the beginning, Mtiliga declined to participate, leading to disappointment from coach Morten Olsen. In response, Olsen has decided not to include Mtiliga in future national team selections, stating, “He let his partners down. I asked him to go warm up, but he was so disappointed by our decision (to play Poulsen) that he told me he couldn’t play. I ordered him to leave the locker room. He will never play for the national team again.”
