Chris Waddle wants Ben White banned from England for life, and the former England midfielder says Thomas Tuchel should never have brought the Arsenal defender back into the squad.
The timing is pointed. Ben White is with the Three Lions again for the Nations League double-header against Croatia and Spain, and only this week he finally spoke about leaving England’s World Cup camp in Qatar, saying people “don’t know the full story”.
Waddle, who won 62 caps for his country, is not interested in the full story. For him, turning England down once should be the end of it.
What did Chris Waddle say about Ben White?
Waddle did not hold back when he was asked about White’s place in the squad. Speaking to iGaming.com, he said: “Listen, Ben White shouldn’t be in the England squad, that’s my opinion. He refused to represent his country. I’m surprised Thomas (Tuchel) brought him back in, and I don’t get why he has. There might be a shortage of fullbacks, but when somebody turns down playing for their country, like Ben White did at Euro 2024, to me that’s a lifetime ban.”
He then made it personal, as if he were the one picking the team: “I’d say, ‘Forget it mate, on my watch you’re not getting back in.'”
The former Tottenham midfielder went further still. Waddle added: “Once you turn your country down, there should be an asterisk next to your name that means you will never get the opportunity to put on that England shirt again. End of story.”
Why did Ben White stop playing for England?
White left the squad at the 2022 World Cup shortly before the end of the group stage, citing personal reasons, and did not play for his country again for more than three years.
It has long been suggested that his refusal stemmed from a “barbed comment” made by Steve Holland, who was Gareth Southgate’s assistant at the time. Southgate, for his part, kept saying he would pick the defender if he made himself available. White never did while Southgate was in charge.
The exile only ended in March 2026, when he accepted a call-up from Tuchel and played in the friendlies against Japan and Uruguay.
Does Ben White still have support inside the England camp?
Waddle is a loud voice, but he is not the one making the decisions. Tuchel has described the recall as “a new chapter” for the England defender, and back in March Jordan Henderson said the Three Lions players “would always support” him.
White himself has made it clear he will not be dragged into the details. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I think obviously people don’t know the full story, because I never said anything and I won’t put anyone under the bus or share any of that.”
That is as far as he is willing to go, and it is unlikely a pundit’s call for a ban changes that.
What next for White this week?
England host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday before facing Spain in Madrid on Sunday. With Ezri Konsa sitting out the Croatia game and Myles Lewis-Skelly suspended, Tuchel is light on bodies at the back, and White could get minutes whichever way Waddle feels about it.
For Arsenal, the bigger concern is simply getting him back in one piece for the trip to Newcastle once the break is over. He is one of several Gunners on international duty this month.
Should Ben White be banned from England?
No, and it is not really close. A “lifetime ban” for a player who stepped away for reasons he has never made public is a strong line to take, especially when the manager, his team-mates and the defender himself have all moved on.
Waddle is entitled to think White let his country down. But Tuchel picks squads on what players offer now, and White is an experienced, versatile defender at the top of the Premier League. If England are short at the back, leaving him at home to make a point would only hurt England.
The best answer White can give is the one he has given at Arsenal for years: keep quiet and play well.
