McCarthy withdraws from EURO consideration

When Giovanni Trapattoni announced his 23 man squad for the EURO 2012 championships in June at a press conference in the Aviva Stadium on Monday, there were few surprises. One noticeable absentee however was Wigan Athletic's midfielder James McCarthy.

While announcing his squad, Trapattoni described how James McCarthy called him two weeks ago and informed him of his decision to withdraw from consideration because of a family illness - one which the Italian manager fully understood.

There had been doubts over whether McCarthy would have been included anyway, but speaking to the assembled press the enigmatic Italian hinted that McCarthy would have been included while (understandably) refusing to be drawn on who has benefited from his circumstances.

The Football Association of Ireland have released the following statement on behalf of James McCarthy.

"I have made the very difficult decision to withdraw my name from selection for the EURO 2012 squad following the diagnosis of my father with cancer and on-going requirement for treatment.

"I have discussed this with the manager. He was very understanding, and I thank him sincerely for that.

"I take this opportunity to re-affirm my complete commitment to playing for the Republic of Ireland. It is a huge honour and a source of great pride for me and my family. Despite not being present, I would like to wish the manager and my teammates every success at the tournament and hope that Irish fans can understand the reason for my decision at this difficult time."