Players can retire from international football: FIFA

GENEVA (AFP) - FIFA declined to comment on the specifics of the row between Chelsea and France over Claude Makelele, but underlined that any player is allowed to retire from international football.

"The general situation is that any player is free to decide that he is not playing for his national team," said Andreas Herren, a spokesman for world football's governing body.

"There is no FIFA rule to prevent any player stopping his international career, that's up to him," he told AFP Monday.

"The one thing that has to be considered is that the intention to leave a national team or put an end to an international career needs to be communicated prior to a specific summons."

An annex to FIFA regulations on the "Status and Transfer of Players" states that "as a general rule" every club player "is obliged to respond affirmatively when called up" by his national side.

The rules deal primarily with a club's obligation to release a player for international duty.

Makelele informed the French Football Federation of his intention to quit the international scene on July 10 after playing for France in the World Cup final.

But French coach Raymond Domenech and the FFF have so far refused to accept the decision, triggering a bitter row with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in recent days.

"Once you've said, 'that's it, I only want to go on playing club football, the association knows for good,' that's it, you don't have to repeat that every time," Herren explained.

The French football federation can call for FIFA's help to obtain a players' release from a club.

"We've simply taken note reading in the newspaper like anybody else but my understanding is we do not have a case pending in that respect. There is no case yet for us to make any comment on," Herren said.

"At the moment this appears to be a discussion at the level of the club, the player and the national association."

"In 99 out of 100 cases the player says 'I would like to quit my international career' and that's it."

"In some instances the player and the coach might agree that (the player) is available once again, but that's something between the two of them and no one else is involved," the FIFA spokesman added.