What happened between Ben White and Steve Holland? Alleged England incident explained

White is back in the England fold (Picture: Getty) Ben White could make his first England appearance in four years tonight following the end of his self-imposed Three Lions exile. The Arsenal star, who won the last of his four caps against the Ivory Coast in March 2022, was included in the England squad for the World Cup in Qatar later that year. White, however, left the camp midway through the tournament over what is thought to have been a disagreement with then-assistant manager Steve Holland. White subsequently made himself unavailable for selection for the rest of Gareth Southgate’s reign as England manager, with his call-up for the Uruguay and Japan friendlies as a replacement for the injured Jarell Quansah the first time he has featured in the squad since the World Cup. Why did White leave the England camp at the World Cup? At the time, the official explanation for White’s departure from England’s World Cup squad was given as ‘personal reasons’. Holland was reportedly involved in a dispute with White (Picture: Getty) However, since then, numerous reports have emerged about an incident which took place between White and Holland in Qatar. According to The Telegraph, it all started when Holland made a ‘barbed comment’ in front of other players and staff about White’s own admission in an interview that he has no interest in football outside of his career as a player. It is alleged that Holland initially asked fellow right-back Kyle Walker a question about Manchester City’s performances in the previous season. The same question was then asked of White about Arsenal’s performances, and after replying he did not know the answer, Holland remarked that the Gunners defender was not ‘sufficiently interested’ in football enough to know. It is said that White did not appreciate the subject being brought up in front of the rest of the England squad and viewed it as a lack of respect. Despite White’s unease about the situation, there was thought to have been no row between himself and Holland, either in private or in front of teammates. White has not played for the Three Lions for four years (Picture: Getty) What has Thomas Tuchel said about White’s return? The England manager has insisted White deserves a ‘second chance’ with the national team but has suggested the right back might need to ‘clear the air’ with the members of the squad who were also present in Qatar. ‘If you believe it or not, I didn’t hear a story about it,’ Tuchel said when asked about the issue in his pre-match press conference. ‘I asked him and he didn’t want to speak about it. I didn’t want to know about it because I think he deserves a second chance. He has not put a foot wrong with me. ‘Something must have happened, because if a player leaves from a tournament it’s never good and it can never be nothing. I’m not sure if ‘apologise’ is the right word, but maybe just to clear the air with the players who were there. {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Thomas Tuchel announces his 35-man England squad for final friendlies before the World Cup","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/03\/20\/5785187164404662784\/480x270_MP4_5785187164404662784.mp4","description":"England are stepping up preparations for the summer with Wembley friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, with Tuchel naming an enlarged group in his penultimate selection before the World Cup.","duration":"T21M27S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/20\/14\/107294685-0-image-a-4_1774016484388.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-03-20T15:00:13+0000","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); ‘I think he has done and will do with the majority of the players who come now. He trains on a very high level, exceptionally good in training. The reaction to his call-up was very positive. ‘Within seconds, it was a very positive and emotional reaction from him. He made it very clear how delighted he is to be back. This is what he has shown in the last days. ‘Everyone deserves a second chance, but I don’t even know if he did something wrong or what exactly happened. But an explanation among the players who were there, to clear the air, is sure in progress.’ POLL Poll Was Ben White right to refuse to play for England? Yes - he was correct to stand by his principlesCheck No - playing for your country is the ultimate honourCheck Tuchel is confident England fans at Wembley will not boo White during the clash against Uruguay and hopes the home crowd will instead ‘support’ the 28 year-old. ‘I can imagine there are some strong opinions out there, but not in camp. ‘People have to trust me that he behaves very, very well. He was positive about coming back and was desperate for many months to come back. Hopefully people give him a fair chance.’