Adebayor axed by Togo; Fallout continues from Gallas comments

International football makes for a very poor Arsenal blog, but I'll give it a go.

The major news is that Adebayor has been axed from the Togo national squad along with two of his team mates following a row over bonus payments.

Adebayor revealed on Friday that Togolese internationals, who threatened to boycott last year's World Cup over a bonus row, are still waiting to receive their payments for reaching the finals in Germany.

"The bonus problem is still there. We were given promises but still nothing has been done," said Adebayor.

"We're still waiting to see the management and it's in their interest to meet with us as soon as possible.

"Whatever happens, we're not going to let this go. If they don't pay up, I don't know what will happen."

The players are still waiting to be paid roughly a third of the US$162,000 they were promised for reaching the World Cup finals.

I can only hope that Adebayor is taking this stance on behalf of lesser paid players in the Togo National squad. I may be old-fashioned but I always believe that pros, especially at the level of Adebayor, should not expect to be paid to play for their national team.

Obviously, you don't want the money lining the pockets of administrators but the profits from international football should go back into the national game or to a charitable cause. Perhaps the players could have a say in the matter.

But for players to be concerned about lining their already their already bulging pockets when representing their country leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I must reiterate that I don't know all the circumstances of this dispute; maybe these players were fighting on behalf of players with much lower earnings. Perhaps somebody could fill me in?

William Gallas
Gunnerblog and Arseblog have equally interesting but completely contrasting opinions on Willam Gallas' recent comments to the French Media. If he actually said what he is reported to have said, I'm with Arseblogger on this one. In previous blogs, I stated my concerns about how Gallas' dislike for playing in the left-back role may have effected Wenger's defensive selection for the Everton game.

Roy Keane's constant moaning about his fellow employees and employers -especially in the latter years of his career- caused a bad vibe at club and international level. I just don't think you should air those grievances in public.

We need experienced players in the camp, not moaners, so sort it out Billy!

Share Speculation Continues
And finally, the media are hopping on the bandwagon of the 'Arsenal for Sale' story. Expect this one to run for a few weeks.

Tune in tomorrow for a more inspired blog.