Austrian boss holds grudge

Last updated : 11 March 2008 By Paul Farrington

Paul Scharner: Austrian International
Wigan Athletic's very own Paul Scharner quit the international scene after a string of poorly orgaised fixtures.

However in a bid to help his country perform well this summer, the Latic defender was prepared to put the respective differences aside and focus on the football.

Manager Hickersberger was not of the same feeling and he has said: "Paul has said he would be willing to play for Austria again at Euro 2008.

"But I already told him in 2006 that his decision to leave the team meant he was giving up on that possibility.

"On top of that, he aimed a lot of comments at the national team immediately after his withdrawal which were not all helpful to a successful working relationship.

"For this tournament, where we are clearly massive outsiders, we need to be a really closely-knit team.

"We have already started to develop a real team spirit as we showed in our sporting performance against Germany (a 3-0 defeat). Considering all that, and barring exceptional circumstances, any Euro 2008 return for Paul Scharner remains unlikely."