Post by Taxigirl on Nov 15, 2003 11:25:48 GMT
Alan Smith's agent has told Sky Sports News that the striker is "bitterly disappointed" at being axed by England.
The Leeds man was taken out of Sven Goran Eriksson's squad ahead of the Denmark friendly after being arrested and questioned by West Yorkshire Police after the bottle throwing incident in the recent Carling Cup defeat by Manchester United.
Smith has not been charged and PFA chief Gordon Taylor has labelled the exclusion - just hours after he was drafted in as late call-up - as a "farce", while Alex Black admits that the striker is distraught at the FA's decision.
"I spoke to Alan this morning and he's got mixed emotions," said Black. "First and foremost he's bitterly disappointed.
"He's been out of the squad for a while and he saw this as a chance to put himself back in the frame for the European Championships.
"It seems that the incident from the Manchester United game has been blown out of proportion and he's worried that people might be getting the wrong idea about that.
"Alan takes his football very seriously and that's what he wants to be doing. He doesn't want to be involved in the centre of all this."
Eriksson has already lost Darius Vassell through injury and wanted to keep Smith in the squad, but has now been forced to call up Southampton's James Beattie.
FA chief executive Mark Palios has since promised to review England's selection policy.