Chelsea ace quits international football

Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa has announced that he will not play for Portugal again as long as Paulo Bento is the national coach.

The right back was left out of the Portuguese squad to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Euro 2012 qualifying playoffs, as the trainer admitted his doubts over the Stamford Bridge man’s attitude.

Despite this, Bosingwa has slated the international coach, stating that he has no confidence in Bento’s abilities to led the country to the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

“I feel offended and disrespected by his remarks,” Bosingwa is reported to have said in Mirror Football.

“I won’t return to play for Portugal as long as he is in charge. He lacks the mental and emotional capacity to lead a team.

“I’ve had an immaculate record, in contrast to him. He left a lot to be desired during Euro 2000,” Bosingwa concluded.

Bosingwa’s retirement is the second high profile player to quit the national team in recent times, as Ricardo Carvalho also opted to end his international career last month following a bust-up with Bento.

By Gareth McKnight