General

Sochaux Deems Charlie Davies Unfit For World Cup, Then Realizing They Can’t, Retracts

May 4, 2010, 7:30 PM UTC

Let’s start this by stating a very important rule of international soccer: each country’s national team, and only each country’s national team, can decide if a player does or doesn’t play in the World Cup. Sure, there are certain tournaments and international matches that club teams can block a player – especially a player who may not be fit to perform – from participating in. But the World Cup? That’s just not gonna fly.â†µâ†µSo how did this Charlie Davies story take on such a mind of its own today to the point where it’s one of the lead stories on Fifa.com? Agence France-Presse had a report earlier Tuesday that read:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥USA striker Charlie Davies, seriously injured in a car crash in Washington last October, will not be fit to compete in the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, medical staff at his French club Sochaux have announced.â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥Davies had spoken of his desire to compete in South Africa, months after a deadly car crash seemed to have shattered his FIFA World Cup dreams. The 13 October accident killed one passenger and left the 23-year-old Sochaux star with a broken leg, multiple facial fractures and a lacerated bladder. Doctors said he would be out of action for a year.â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥Davies will not be fit to return to team action for Sochaux before the end of the season, a team source said, adding that he needed more time to recover.â†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µHis inability to return to the pitch for Sochaux is unfortunate, especially considering the fact that Davies was recently cleared to train with the team full-time. He is still progressing well and, by his own admission, has not had any setbacks. Here is a tweet Tuesday afternoon to that effect:â†µâ†µâ‡¥Everyone I’m still progressing and happy with my progress. I am very fortunate to NOT have had any setbacks. My eye is still on the prize!!â†µâ†µDavies also told the New York Times just last week that “I really, really truly believe that I will be back for the World Cup.”â†µâ†µSo, how does someone go from that kind of optimism one week to his club team preemptively putting out official word that the same player is being ruled out of the World Cup? Turns out…they don’t.â†µ

â†µ

â†µ Grant Wahl of SI tweeted word from the United States Soccer Federation that clearly stated that, while their medical staff has met with Davies, no determination has been made.â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥US Soccer denies AFP report on front of FIFA.com that Charlie Davies will miss WC. “Nothing has changed” in CD status, says USSF spokesman.â†µâ†µKeep in mind that Bob Bradley and the USMNT staff will be picking their pool of players for the preliminary World Cup roster by next week, with nearly all of them being invited to camp which starts on May 16th. Until then, it seems, Davies is still in the running.â†µâ†µSo strike one for the internet quashing this AFP report. The Shin Guardian reports that Sochaux would like to amend their original headline-grabbing bit of news:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥A big thanks to FC Sochaux and their spokesman for getting back to us so quickly. Their revision:â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥FC Sochaux physio Cédric Blomme: “Charlie’s situation as encouraging. He makes progress everyday and that’s good. It keeps his hopes alive. We can’t say it’s impossible. It’s important for him and the team. The US Soccer Federation will publish a list with 30 players and maybe he will be on this list. We have to see how far he can come in his progress.”â†µâ†µWell that sure does sound different than the report earlier in the day. Perhaps a member of the USSF got a hold of the powers that be – or at least the public source – at Sochaux and gave them the giant “Arret” sign.â†µâ†µWill Davies be invited to camp? That’s up to Bradley. But let’s hold out hope that he’s at least given the chance.â†µ

â†µ

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

See More: